Docile Life
by araceliaragon
Summary: Continuing the story by ImaginationStation00, who is on permanent hiatus. The story of the paradoxical duo who lead rebellious lives in a place where they are forced to be compliant. How they grow to love each other and how they fight to maintain their relationship throughout twists and turns. Does not follow HG canon.
1. Wasted Cranberry Sauce

The house wasn't quiet that afternoon. There were screams of annoyance in the boys, and squeals of happiness in the girls. Hazelle and Ms. Everdeen were chatting contently as they stirred pots, set utensils, and laughing every now and then when they saw Posy crying whenever Katniss tried to pick her up out of her crib in the living room. "I don't understand." Katniss complained, sitting back on her heels while Gale tended to Posy, shushing her softly in her tiny ear.

"What don't you understand?" Gale asked still in his parenting tone, packing Posy away in her tiny rocker.

"Why children don't like me." Katniss explained to him.

Gale raised an eyebrow at her, standing up and walking to the favored couch where he was going to plant himself. He laughed as he saw her seriously curious expression. "Not just children Catnip. Animals, babies, and anyone else your own age hate you too." He stopped and seemed to think about something. "Honestly, I think most adults hate you too. They just put up with you because you have the cleanest kills." He added smugly. He was teasing her though. He loved doing this too her. It was cute, the way she acted. But if she knew that's why he was doing it, well it wouldn't go down well.

"Gale Hawthorne!" Katniss exclaimed with red cheeks. She dashed over to him; arms crossed and then slapped him hard against the back of his head. He laughed and apologized and made room for her on the couch.

She opted for the floor beside him instead, still being too stubborn to accept his repayment. "Aw Katniss, don't be mad. I was kidding. I like you, Sae likes you. I'm pretty sure Buttercup likes you too." He ruffled her hair because she was facing away from him.

"He does not, and you know it." She huffed and smoothed down her hair. Gale could almost swear he heard her sniffle.

"Catnip, don't be mad. Catnip, look at me." She didn't budge her head. "Fine be that way." He muttered not angry but more to himself. Gale got up from his lounging spot on the sofa, which he would later regret doing and stooped before her. She wasn't crying but her eyes were shiny. "Okay, Katniss, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I'm just cranky 'cause I'm hungry." He joked.

She chuckled weakly and looked up at him. "Me too."

This caused him to smile. "Why do you care if Posy likes you or not, though?"

"I don't know. I just don't want kids to hate me. I feel like I scare them or something. How will that help me in the future?" She furrowed her brow as she said this, making Gale think that maybe she was thinking this over too hard. Gale was mildly happy at her response though. She told Gale many a times that she never wanted kids, never wanted anything to do with them, and he was starting to lose faith.

What he didn't know was how fast Katniss could change her mind about her beliefs, or what she thought was morally right. When Katniss saw Gale with a baby Posy, merely a toddler and he did so well with her; Katniss knew that if she wanted anyone to help her raise a family it would be him. No matter how angry he was about the world, he still would lose the stoic pose around children and let them into his heart.

"You just have to treat them like they're equals." He hinted.

"How in the world am I supposed to do that?" She said in an exasperated tone. The only parenting she had ever done was with Prim when she was younger, and Katniss was very strict and very over-protecting.

Katniss didn't sit too well with the idea that she was supposed to act like little kids had as much authority as her. "Like this:" Gale exampled.

He then called for Vick, Prim and Rory to come to the living room. They hustled in from the side room. Rory's face was flushed like he had just been outside, and Prim and Vick were blue with laughter. When Gale and Katniss eyed them for an explanation Prim took to answering. "We made him do a dare where he had to take his pants off outside."

Rory blushed. Gale and Katniss' mouths twitched as they tried to stifle their snickers. They both knew Rory had a crush on Prim and he needed as much coverage as he could get. "Watch Katniss." Gale whispered into her ear. "Prim. Vick. You know better than to put Rory's health on the line." He started, looking towards Katniss for her reaction. "Vick, next time tell me what you're up to when it comes to dares so I can join in on the fun. Can you do that Vick? For me?"

Vick nodded. "And we'll make sure you incorporate your ideas too." Prim added shyly.

"Good. Thank you. Go have fun." Gale said dismissing them.

"Naw, I think we'll pass, it's too cold outside and we're done playing. I'm too hungry." Rory said taking a spot on the couch. Prim and Vick were quick to follow suit.

"Damn it." Gale muttered under his breath. "Come on Catnip. Let's go to my room." This was why Gale made sure to grab the couch while the kids were outside.

"Alright." Katniss agreed, getting off of her rear and following him to his room up the stairs.

"Did you see how I did that, though?" He asked her as they went up, making sure like any teacher would to a pupil, that she was paying attention.

"Yeah, you left them to decide what they thought was good behavior and then secretly threatened them by making them ask you to supervise them while they would think you were there to add to the entertainment." She said, spot on.

He opened the door and nodded. "Exactly. That wasn't too hard, was it?"

"No, I bet I could do it in my sleep." She challenged.

"Ha, I'll put you to it one day." He walked over to his small shelf and pulled out a set of cards. Katniss seeing his intentions grabbed two pillows and two blankets and laid them out across from each other. She handed Gale a blanket when he was seated and wrapped herself in the other and plopped onto the pillow. Meaning it cushioned her butt from the hardwood floors. "Still doesn't beat the sofa." He whined, copying her action. "Spit?" He asked her.

"Why that game? You suck at it."

"Practice makes perfect Catnip. Plus we're playing War after you win. I always win that game." He said with a sadistic smile.

Katniss laughed at his expression and then turned somber. "Aw, you player! We're going to spend a minute playing my game and the next hour playing yours. Unfair." She threw her hands up in the air. They both laughed. They both knew Katniss didn't mind playing war with Gale. She just thought that it was a really stereotypical game, that didn't require any skill, just luck. She mentioned this to him. "It's just because the odds are in your favor… every time."

"Not for everything, though." He said emotionlessly.

"I'm sorry Gale." She said as she took the deck from his hands and split the deck into two.

"No, don't be." He said hopping out of his depressed state. "Let's see how long it takes before you win."

Katniss didn't really notice how much more enthusiasm he had put back into himself.

Gale was scared. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. He had his name in forty-two times this year at the reaping. His last one, fortunately. But still, he had a huge chance of getting reaped for tribute. Gale was willing to sacrifice himself for the good of his District, willing to go down into the mines if it meant he could help his family, but there was no way in hell Gale could let himself die in the Capitol's hands.

This might have been selfish of him to think, but he hoped Katniss would be as furious at the Capitol as he was right now. They killed his father, four years ago on this day and didn't do anything about it.

Gale and his family could have died if it hadn't been for the sanctuary called 'forest'. Katniss and her mom and sister could have disappeared along with them if he hadn't found her when she found the woods. And Gale knew he would do anything and everything to make sure Katniss would never go hungry. He cared too much about her now.

Even though she was two years younger than him, she was still the same level of maturity, the same level of skill (if not better), and the same level of fire. He was a raging soul, and so was she, he could see it.

And he loved the heat that she brought him.

"I won."

"What? Impossible!" He exclaimed. He looked down and saw that, yes, she had in fact gotten all her cards onto the two correct piles and had slapped her delicate hand on the smaller pile. "Dang girl. You're getting faster."

"I know." She said giddily. Today was a happy day and they could both feel it in the air. It was Thanksgiving, and this was the third time they were spending it together. The two of them would work from dawn until dusk in the woods collecting firewood, evergreen leaves to freshen up the house, blackberries, and cranberries from their secret patch, a turkey or two for their families and a few for trading with people at the Hob and round the District, roots like the ones Katniss was named after, and herbs that could flavor their stew. This year they were pretty sad on not finding any potatoes.

"New round?" He asked her as he basked in her happiness.

She set the cards up again, her in the lead with way fewer cards, and him struggling to pile his cards neatly so that he could hold them in his hand. "Ready? Spit." He watched as her hands flew adding the Ace to the King and then so forth down the hierarchy, and then going back up the scale. He tried to keep up with her, adding a card in here or there.

He was actually sweating by the time she said: "I win. War?"

"Oh thank God." He said to the air. "Finally something I can win at."

"You're so competitive you know that?" She informed him.

"I've been told that on occasion." He said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"You're so suavé right now, you know." She said pushing him on his shoulder. He chortled and divided the deck.

"It's pronounced suave." He corrected her. "Not suavé."

"Whatever Gale." Katniss didn't really mind being corrected. Katniss was internally thinking about how Gale was so angry at the world that even his favorite card game was named 'War'. She felt bad that any child who had to basically become the father of his sister and brothers had to live like this.

She wanted Gale to have some sort of relief from his duties which he thought he was in charge of. Sometimes she could think that _she_ was his relief. And that that was why they were friends, soul mates, whatever you called them.

All she knew is that, she wasn't romantically involved with Gale, but that she knew if she brought it up, inevitably it would turn out that way. And she didn't really mind. He fueled her, and made her task of surviving become living. That was all she really expected in life.

After the Reapings of course. She still had three to go. Who knew what would happen in those three years. She could be dead in two.

After they had been playing the game for an hour and a half, Gale's mom called them both down for dinner. They both looked to the window at the same moment. It was so easy to become involved in each other's thoughts and to not feel pressured to talk around one another that the time flew. "You win." Katniss said glumly as she counted her cards. Unlike Spit, War was the game where you had to have more cards to win. Katniss seemed to only win where no cards benefitted her.

She wondered if it meant anything symbolic. She didn't find anything that could be though.

"Catnip, we have cold cranberry sauce, and warm cranberry sauce. Which one do you want?" Gale whispered into her ear as they sat at the table cramped with not three, not four, but seven people. He passed her the bowl of roots while he did so.

"Warm, please." She said sweetly. She dropped two heated 'katniss' tubers on her plate and passed the rest onto Prim.

"Alright. Come with me." They both stood, their chairs scraping against the floor. Not that the noise was noticeable, there was lots of happiness floating around the table, you could barely tell they had left. They headed to the far corner of the kitchen. "Get me a bowl, would ya." Gale instructed Katniss as he stirred the warm cranberry sauce on the cooling stove.

She reached up to get one from the high cabinet. She grunted as she felt her stomach press into the sharp counter and her toes rolled as she reached higher.

"Oh my g-, Katniss." Gale said exasperatedly. He reached behind her head to grab two bowls. His chest pressed up against her back and the sudden warmth made Katniss melt. She hadn't realized how cold it was.

"Brr. It's freezing in here." She commented.

"That's why we're eating the warm cranberries. Duh." He said flicking a bit at her.

"Gale! That's food!" She scolded, but throwing a mushy carrot slice at him anyways.

"Katniss! That's food!" He mimicked. He sent another purple splatter towards her. She laughed when she thought it disappeared, but then cowered in humiliation when Gale pointed towards her chin.

"Hey!" She cried. She grabbed a big wooden spoon and then held it over Gale's head. He stopped laughing. She reached behind him, dug her spoon into the thick, mahogany sauce and slopped it down the front and inside of Gale's shirt.

Gale gasped in the sudden touch and jumped up in surprise. He turned to find Katniss bent over laughing so hard that she was having trouble breathing. He got a sudden idea and filled another spoon with cranberry sauce and held it above her head.

"Gale, don't you dare even think about it." She said darkly. _How in the world?_ Gale thought.

"Truce then." He stuck his hand out below her for her to shake. She did and then they filled their bowls politely. "Um, Catnip…" He wiped the remaining stain from her chin while looking into her eyes. Did she feel it too?

They walked to the table and sat down and joined in the conversation. They kept sneaking glances at each other. They were sweet innocent glances, until Katniss felt something stirring up against her leg.

"Buttercup!" She screamed. Her bowl splashed the juices against herself, Gale and the table. And she literally jumped up onto her chair. "Damn that little son of a- oh sorry!" She apologized bashfully, looking down and remembering the children at the table.

"It's alright Katniss." Hazelle said.

"Thanks." Gale couldn't help but noticed how she batted her eyelashes when she was scared.

"So Rory, tell me what game you'd like to play after dinner." Gale asked, taking the spotlight off of Katniss.

"Truth or Dare." Rory said mischievously. Prim giggled.

"No." Gale said. "How about we tell stories? Or play checkers."

"Boring." Rory feigned yawning.

"Fine, Katniss and I will go on a walk and you guys can play whatever you want."

"Yay!" The children cried. Gale scoffed, shook his head and held his hand out to Katniss. "Milady."

"Ew Gale." Katniss scrunched her nose up and took his palm.

"Ew yourself." He said mockingly. They giggled as they walked out of the Hawthorne's house and into the frosty air.

"Ah, winter, couldn't get any better than this." Katniss sighed.

"I bet it could." Gale said, staring out in front of them. She tried to pinpoint what he was looking at but, all she could see were the swirling white flurries against the grey sky. After about a minute of thoughtful silence, Gale speaks up. "Have you ever wondered what life would be like for us after the reaping?"

Katniss can't say she's surprised at this question. But the thing is, she has thought about it. Very recently, in fact. She doesn't want to have to get married, because that obviously leads to children, but she also doesn't know if she can prove her love to anybody. She thinks she's so rusty on the emotion that anybody willing to come close enough would regret it. "Not really." She said, hoping he would drop it like he usually did when it came to things like this in their conversations.

"I have." He told her. "I've thought about it a lot."

"Oh." Katniss mumbled sadly. Gale didn't know why though.

"I think we should run." He paused and looked at her for permission to continue. "I think if we prepared from starting now, we could leave by after the reaping."

"That's not even-, you can't even think that I would agree to something stupid like-, Gale that's preposterous!"

"No it's not." He said calmly, un-like Katniss who was over the roof in hysterics, at least for Katniss that's what it looked like. "Katniss we would take our families with us."

"We have too many kids, Gale. Prim in the woods? That's something I would like to see."

"Fine, we won't do it, I'm sorry I brought it up." He snapped angrily. Katniss felt guilty. She didn't want Gale to be mad. Today was a rough day for both the Hawthorne's and the Everdeen's.

"Please don't be mad at me." She pleaded looking up at his side profile. He was scowling, and that wasn't making the day any better. She could fix that. Maybe that was what proving affection was: showing someone how much you care about them by going to a certain extent to make them happy.

"I could never." He scoffed.

"Hey I know, let's go get a cookie."

"And split it with the rest of our family? A cookie? Seven even pieces?" Gale shoved the idea out of his mind. "I had a better idea." His eyes sparkled.

"Just us can share it then." She said compromisingly, though she actually was never going to suggest bringing it home.

"Oh yes, and then I have a better idea of how to spend the rest of our walk." He was smiling again, and Katniss felt a weight coming off of her chest. Again, she didn't really become affected by his moods, but it did enhance her abilities to think straighter. Again, she didn't feel romantically involved with Gale, but she did know for sure that if he wasn't in her life, she sure wouldn't be okay with that.

They walked and chatted about school and its stupid teachers while they headed towards the Mellark Bakery. It was the classiest bakery in District 12 and they traded squirrels with the head baker: Mr. Mellark.

 _Ding._ The chime above the door made a twinkling orchestrated sound when Gale and Katniss opened the door and entered the floury bakery. Warmth surrounded Gale and goose bumps rose on his arms under the sleeves of his hunting jacket. He heard Katniss shiver and he gave her a warming hug to heat her faster than the air inside would. She thanked him gratefully and turned to see one of the Baker's sons watching them from behind the counter. Katniss remembered this boy from a long time ago, but couldn't place his name. "Hello…" Katniss said.

"Peeta." The boy told her.

"Hello Peeta." Gale saw the expression Peeta gave to Katniss and he did not like it at all. He wanted them out of the bakery as quickly as possible but didn't want to ruin the moment between them. Gale admired Katniss's red nose and flushed cheeks. Strands of hair were flying away from her face and out of her braid and her jacket was giving her as much protection from the snowflakes as Gale's was. She leaned over the display of goods and scanned over her selection. "Gale, is this one covered in enough frosting?" She laughed and pointed to the cookie with the softest looking dough and thickest coating of forest green frosting. It was so Katniss to look for the greenest cookie.

Gale noticed the boy staring at Katniss longingly, like he wished to be in Gale's place. This made Gale happier. Maybe that was mean though. Gale leaned behind Katniss, front touching back and told her that maybe _more_ frosting would his day _even_ better.

Katniss looked at his close proximity and shoved him away from her playfully. All the while, Peeta was staring at their little exchange and re-thinking the rumors that had been going around school. There were rumors that they were just friends. That they didn't even hunt together anymore.

He thought those could be true since he hadn't seen them walking to school together anymore. What he didn't know was that Gale stayed in the woods longer than Katniss did because recently they had begun talking more to each other than hunting diligently, and Gale just didn't give a fuck about school so he came late.

There were other rumors that Gale had girlfriend. Sometimes Katniss was mentioned in the list of possibilities, but Peeta just ruled those out as quickly as possible. He liked to think that Katniss wasn't in to older guys. But unfortunately, to Peeta's dismay Katniss looked plenty into Gale Hawthorne right now, at the moment. Peeta guessed that he didn't even stand a chance.

He knew his looks were plain, that he made up for that with his 'sweet' personality, but that Gale was completely luscious in the eyes of every female in the district, and he probably had the most heated personality.

Peeta was jealous. "I can put more frosting on it if you want?" He offered.

Gale and Katniss looked at each other and held a silent conversation. _Too much money to do so._ Gale pointed out, meaning, shaking his head slightly and pointing to his pouch of coins which he kept on his hip at all times.

Katniss stared longingly at the frosting tube in Peeta's hand and then back to Gale. _I have money._ She jerked her head towards her pocket, where the two extra coins were weighing her pants down unevenly.

 _Its fine how it is._ Gale's look said with finality. "We'll take it as it is." He said without breaking eye contact from a squinty eyed Katniss. Gale smirked.

"How many do you want?" Peeta huffed. This speech was ingrained in him. All he wanted was to talk to Katniss. Not get her a cookie which she was most likely splitting with Gale. Peeta was jealous.

"One." Katniss replied. Quick as a fly she popped out her two coins and placed them on the counter.

"Catnip," Gale warned, looking sternly at her two extra coins being put on the counter, whereas he had many extra coins he had been saving for two months. Katniss smiled slyly at Gale and he exhaled audibly. "Is that enough for the cookie, Peeta?" He asked looking at him.

"Just one more coin." Peeta lied.

"No, no. Peeta, that's not very nice." said another voice from behind the swinging doors. They all turned to look at Mr. Mellark coming from the back room. He wiped his hands on his dirty apron and stuck his arm out for Gale and Katniss to shake. "Mr. Hawthorne, Miss Everdeen. It's been a while. Where have you been?" He asked them.

"Squirrels are going extinct. This one here shot them all out of the sky. Haven't seen one in two weeks. Sorry Sir." Gale explained kindly bumping hips with Katniss. Katniss snickered at Gale.

"I hardly shot them out of the sky, you snared them all." She jabbed a finger at his chest. They both growled at each other, teasingly.

"Alright. I believe you two. Break it up." Mr. Mellark laughed. "I'll go get you the cookie from the fresh rack and two coins is all you need."

"Thank you Mr. Mellark." They said gratefully. He nodded at them and he took his plump self to the back room to package their order. Gale and Katniss reminisced briefly what it would be like to live an easy life as a baker.

"So," Peeta said, recovering from his dark actions. He was back to being friendly. "What's up with you two lately?" He inquired, hoping to get some information from the primary source.

"Nothing really. We're just having dinner together tonight with our families 'cause it's a holiday. You know?" Gale said hoping to soil any of Peeta's plans with Katniss. It was a full on full girl world war between the two boys, but Katniss didn't notice. She only appreciated Gale's protecting aura. Townies made her feel inferior. That made her angry.

"Oh, that's right. Happy Thanksgiving." Peeta smiled at Katniss. Katniss smiled back politely. "We have some extra food if you want to take that back to your families." Peeta offered, and that was his first mistake.

Katniss' brows crinkled as she eyed him angrily. She thought about how rude that would seem to a Seam person, but not to him. "Afraid you're gonna get fat, eh?" she said lightly, replacing her face with a mask of no emotion.

"No, sorry. We'll pass." Gale shot flatly agreeing with Katniss.

"Unless you have some extra cranberry sauce." She decided to Peeta, looking at Gale and then afterwards going: "eh, eh." Poking him in the stomach. He tapped her on her nose.

They both laughed, and Peeta felt he was missing some part of the joke. "Um, sure." He said, not knowing what else to say back. While he went back to the kitchen to get some of the sauce, he knew that Gale and Katniss had to be more than friends. _Friends don't act like that._ He thought. Maybe they were friends, but somewhere along the road, the lines between friends and lovers got blurred. That made Katniss off limits. Peeta concluded glumly. He met with his father to walk back into the front room where Gale and Katniss were talking. He placed the container into the same bag as the cookie and waited with his father by the revolving door to listen in on their conversation.

"Katniss, don't put your money on the counter when I can."

"Why not?" Katniss asked. Peeta noticed her voice hadn't raised.

"Because," Gale answered simply.

Peeta knew that it wasn't going to be enough for Katniss though. "Because I need the money more than you do? No. I'm doing it because I owe you. This is me making it up to you. I want you to enjoy the day today." He could only hear her for the next part. "No, Gale, don't be sad, he would have wanted you to be happy today. He would have wanted you to be grateful for what you have."

"Thanks Catnip." Gale whispered to her. "I am grateful." Father and son walked in on the two hugging each other. They released and Katniss looked a bit red from them walking in on their private moment, but otherwise she looked normal.

"Here you are, you two." Peeta's dad said to them. Gale thanked them and gave Katniss the bag. Peeta felt bad that they couldn't have one full happy day because of their fathers and money and starvation in their lives. Peeta wanted to be able to help Katniss with that. That's why he threw her the bread.

As soon as they exited the bakery Peeta's father turned to Peeta and said: "They sure are as close as two people can possibly get."

"You think they're a couple, dad?" Peeta asked.

Mr. Mellark turned around and looked Peeta in the eye with a smile. "They're inseparable. Even if they don't know how much they mean to one another now, they'll know soon."

"So I don't have a chance." Peeta grumbled to himself following his dad back to the dinner table.

"Son, I hate to say it but, I don't think you have a chance unless you have a huge piece of luck come your way."

Outside the bakery Gale and Katniss were heading towards home again, but Gale remembered what his idea was after they bought the cookie. "Alright, my turn." Gale said with slight enthusiasm. His eyes brightened and Katniss' heart thumped. She was excited too… if only she knew where they were going.

"Ooh! More surprises. I love them." Katniss said feigning excitement. Her face was morose. Gale laughed.

"C'mon Catnip." He took her hand and led her to the edge of the town, close to the entrance of the western mine.

"Gale, it's getting darker, maybe we should head back and do it tomorrow." Katniss said worriedly, twilight was forming and she still had no clue how close they were to they're destination.

"Hell no! We're so close anyways." He pulled her into an abandoned tool shack so that they could have shelter from the wind.

"Is this it?" She asked, unimpressed.

"No. But it will do."

"Okay so why did you bring me here?" She said actually wondering what thing they were going to do here near no civilization. Her heart sped up with anticipation and she unintentionally leaned forward towards Gale.

Gale smiled at her reaction and took out the cranberry sauce. He smiled evilly at her and watched her eyes widen. "This was not part of my plan in the beginning." He beamed at her.

"Oh goodness." She backed away from Gale as he dipped two fingers into the food. "Hold on, hold on." She said as he raised his arm. "Let me have some, it's only fair."

He mumbled, knowing about how he _couldn't live_ without being fair and gave her a dollop. "On the count of three?" She nodded. "One."

"Two." She smiled.

And she flung her dollop of cranberry sauce at his face!

Right on target, as she suspected. Gale growled: "Three." And threw his own amount at her face. She ducked and scooped some more up from the container which he had placed on the ground.

They continued to throw small amounts at each other until there was no more and they were rolling on the ground laughing, covered in small purple spots. "We're the most un-Seam like people I've ever met." Gale told her in-between breaths.

"Har, har. It was worth it." She disagreed with him.

"It was a waste of some good cranberry sauce." He sighed.

"Not entirely." She wiped off a bit of it from his cheek and put it against her tongue. "Bleh! Nasty! Ours is way better." She commented with a puckered face. "They may be bakers, but they're not chefs."

"I bet that horrid mother of theirs made it." Gale agreed eating some that he got off of her forehead.

"Sour, like her." They said in unison.

"Cookie time?" Katniss asked Gale after ridding her mouth of tangy cranberry sauce.

"Cookie time." Gale pulled the green cookie out of the wax paper covering and split it in half. "To being grateful for what you have, how you spend it, and who you spend it with."

"Amen." Katniss agreed feeling light inside. Could Gale mean he's grateful for Katniss being in his life? She was. He was literally the only person she could confide in. She was only ever herself when they were alone. To Prim, Katniss acted like the adult, hiding Prim from the horrors of the world. To her mom, Katniss was the sullen, quiet and hostile daughter that never opened up. To Hazelle, she was the kind hunting partner of Gale. To her peers, Katniss was a closed, quiet individual that was rebellious and dangerous. If she ever lost Gale, she wasn't sure she could open up to anyone else again. If she did, she would have to, to remain alive. She couldn't really think of a world where Gale was not important to her. If there was, Katniss would sure have to be a messed up person by then.

"Amen." Gale chinked cookie halves with her. He hoped Katniss understood what he meant when he toasted to their friendship. He wasn't sure if they would ever become something more, but he was fine if he was the most important man in her life. After her father of course.

When they got back to Gale's house, everyone was sitting in front of the fire in the living room. Gale and Katniss helped themselves to the last pieces of turkey, and stew. They politely gathered a bowl of sweet cranberry sauce to split and then sat down at the table adding comments here and there to the funny stories being told around the room.

The house was quiet that evening as they all held hands to thank the spirit somewhere up in the clouds for the beautiful orange sky that blessed them a few hours before, for the bright orange and blue fire that rose from the coals their own people had mined to keep them warm, and for many other things that they were grateful for. When it was time for the Everdeen's to go back to their home, and Vick and Rory were sent to bed, Ms. Everdeen and Prim waited by the door for Katniss to say goodnight to Gale.

"Thank you for splitting the cookie with me." He said, tugging on her braid.

"Shh. I don't want anyone to get jealous." She shushed him. Her hard exterior was back up, and Gale knew he wouldn't be able to bring it back down again anytime soon. He wondered if this would remain in her mind. If the possibility of them could be in her mind for the future. He realized that maybe they only shared this day the way they did was because it was a bittersweet day for both of them, and she just needed more love than usual. Maybe she was going to forget the moment they had when he told her he had been thinking about the future. He didn't think anything done today would affect her when he brought it up again. He pictured it going down like this:

' _If we didn't have so many kids.'_

' _I never want to have kids.'_

" _I might, if I didn't live here.'_

' _But you do.'_

' _Forget it.'_

"Jealousy is the worst trait." Gale told her. It's a subtle warning, but she won't pick up on it.

"I'm jealous you got the bigger half." She admitted to him, eyes widening innocently.

"Me too."

"What? How can you be jealous?"

"Goodnight, Catnip." He said as he lightly shoves her out the door with a smack to her bottom.

"Hawthorne!" She shook her fist at him. "I'm going to get you tomorrow for that."

"I'll put you to it." He challenged her. He watched as she got this devilish gleam in her eye. He loved the fire that he brought out in her. It made living in the Seam worthwhile.

"Bring the extra cranberry sauce tomorrow." She said meaning for when they met in the morning before hunting.

"The poor wasted cranberry sauce." He said with sympathy. Katniss turned to see her mom and sister walking down the road towards her home.

"Yes, the poor 'wasted' cranberry sauce. 'Night Gale." And she dashed down to meet her family, puffs of white coming out of her mouth as she breathed in and breathed out.

"Goodnight Katniss." He said quietly and closed the door.


	2. Schemes

"Mom, where'd you put the leftovers?" Gale asked his mom once he'd searched the house from top to bottom.

"Leftovers? Gale we haven't had any leftovers since your da-"She smiled nostalgically

"Maw," Gale said trying to keep her in high spirits interrupting her, she continued though.

"I'm guessing Rory at it all while we all were asleep." Hazelle looked over her oldest son's shoulder.

"Rory." Gale growled. "I should have known."

"Gale, why do you need last night's food?" She asked putting her hands on her hips.

Gale smiled and straightened. "It doesn't matter. Since I can't find it, I don't need it." Inside, Gale was fretting Katniss' face when he showed up without the sauce. He stayed up the majority of the night wondering what she thought she could do to surprise Gale with the cranberries. Maybe she was just trying to mess with Gale, to put his mind to the test.

That girl! She was clever.

Gale was just one step ahead of her… as always.

"Well luckily for you I saved some cranberry sauce that I was going to give to Posy." She said and suddenly Gale's mood shifted considerably.

"Mom, save it for Posy. I don't need it."

"That's the thing Gale, you never take what you want. You only take what you need." Hazelle walked over to the sink and grabbed a wet rag.

"Because I _don't_ want it. I don't need it either though. Posy deserves it."

"Why don't you deserve it Gale?" She asked him with no trace of lightness in her voice. He shrugged. "Baby I'm so proud of you." She reached out for her son's hand. Gale took it and blushed modestly. She squeezed his hand and then held out the towel.

"Wha-?"

"Here." She said and handed it to him. He took it quizzically. "You _need_ this. Go wash up before you meet Katniss."

"Yes ma'am." He grumbled. She laughed and patted him on the shoulder as he turned to go to the bathroom.

While he was freshening prior to his mother's instructions Hazelle chuckled at the obliviousness in her son and her daughter. Though Hazelle did think of Katniss as a daughter, she also did know that soon they were going to have to face the next step in their relationship. It was obvious the way that they looked at each other that they had stronger feelings. _Katniss was lucky she had met such a nice boy like Gale._ Hazelle thought. She dried the dirty dishes from last night and took to mending a customer's shirt.

"Bye. I'll be back in a few hours." Gale announced as he walked back into the room.

"You take your time Gale." She watched Gale shake his wet hair and put on his father's hunting jacket. He grabbed a game bag and then walked out the front door. She began to drown in her thoughts when she heard a door open.

"Can I take the cranberry sauce, actually?" Gale asked out of breath. Hazelle nodded. "Thanks." He quick grabbed the sauce and dashed out again.

Meanwhile, "Katniss!" Prim cried from downstairs. Katniss sprinted towards the kitchen, zipping up her jacket frantically while entering the room.

"Yes Prim?" Katniss asked in a scared voice. Katniss was formulating a plan while getting dressed for Gale and his little inappropriate slip up from last night.

"Buttercup ate the cheese I made for you." Her eyes were shiny and her blonde hair was in a tangled braid. She was holding Buttercup in her arms, but didn't look very upset with the pleased cat. Prim just wanted Katniss to not get mad. She didn't want Katniss to not like Katniss. She hoped her big sister wouldn't bring any harm to her lovely kitten. Katniss disagreed when Prim would call Buttercup a kitten.

It was a straggly, brawny, ugly cat.

"Little Duck, don't worry. It's okay." She cooed, kneeling in front of the remorseful Prim. "I can still cook him, if you want." Katniss reminded her, feigning a sweet sugary accent.

"NO!" Her little sister said shielding Buttercup. Katniss laughed and regained her height over Prim. She ruffled Prim's hair like Gale did to her previously and then told her that she wouldn't unless Prim was at school.

Prim knew Katniss was joking but still scowled. Katniss chuckled again at her sister's annoyance. "Love you Primmy. See you in a few hours."

"Going hunting with Gale?" Prim inquired.

"Yes, and I need to set up something awesome to get food all over him. So I need to leave quickly." Katniss explained, pulling on her hunting boots and grabbing her burlap bag. She also stuffed some rope and wire into her bag hoping that Gale hadn't beat her to their meeting spot on the hill overlooking the valley yet.

"Katniss, that's a waste… of food!" Prim exclaimed, horrified.

"It's for a good cause." Katniss disagreed and kissed Prim on the forehead.

"Make it messy then." Prim reluctantly added, muttering it so that maybe Katniss wouldn't hear. Of course Katniss had trained hunting ears; Katniss flashed Prim a malicious grin and shut the door.

On the way to the meadow- she lived closer to the fence than Gale did- she visualized her trap which Gale would no doubt fall into. She traveled stealthily through the uneven terrain and set up a snare where when Gale would sit underneath it, with the sauce attached, the sauce would dump over on his head.

Katniss shook her head and undid the trap. It wouldn't work. She tried another setup. She quickly conjured up another idea and set to work.

It was called the Apache Foot Hold Snare, her father taught it to her long ago and she could never recreate it. But she has a mission. Or so she tells herself.

She dug a small hole that was large enough to fit Gale's foot, but small enough to stay concealed. She tied the rope strategically in a tree behind the hole so that when the rope tightened it would activate a rock balancing on the same branch. Hopefully the rock would fall and hit the bottom side of the bow and cause the other side which has the sauce on top to fly towards the hole… she aimed for the sauce to hit Gale's face.

Then she sat down, fiddled with her fingers and some extra rope and waited.

Gale hurried to the meadow… He was scared that maybe Katniss has already gotten there, maybe already set up some embarrassing trap and had already hidden herself among the blackberry bushes around their meet up place.

He slowed as he reached the rock, tuning his ears to every sound and silently stepping around little mounds of pine needles and small sprouts of ivy where Katniss could have hidden a twitch up snare.

"Katniss?" He hissed into the bitter air. "Where are you?" He scanned up in the trees and down on the ground in front of him. He saw nothing. Maybe he got lucky and he beat Katniss here.

"Behind you." The whisper sends chills down his back, and not the good kind. A noose slipped over his head and he jumped in fright.

"Catnip." He smiled and laughed at her victorious smirk. "That was well done… You see I thought you were going to have some more elaborate plan where you-"

"Gale," She interrupted him, still pleased with herself. The plan was going as she thought it would. "We both know you're the only one who's good with snares. I get tangled in them whenever I try to make the ones you taught me."

Gale didn't notice her baleful smirk and basked in the compliment. "I'm the best." He puffed out his chest, puckered his lips like a Capitol person and strutted a few feet in front of her. She laughed and he dropped the stature.

"Uh-huh, you're the best." She mumbled and took the noose necklace off of him. "Where's that sauce?" She demanded an answer stopping in the middle of her tracks and holding her hand out.

"And you're welcome." He said scornfully.

"Thank you." She answered apologetically. She smiled like a small child and her eyes practically begged for the food. Gale had a soft spot for children who wanted food.

"Here you go then." He put the small container in her hands and she dashed off in front of him like a bird. Her hair whipped behind her and he remembered once that he had had a dream where she let him take out the braid. Where she let him run his fingers through her hair. Where she let him cut her hair. Where she got mad at him and told him he could never touch it again.

Now he remembered why he hadn't thought of the dream recently. It was so like Katniss to get mad at him for doing something spontaneous like that even though she's the one who said he should do it. He didn't want to dream about Katniss and have her treat him like she did in real life. He wanted to have her be kind and thoughtful in his dreams where they could do whatever they want and not have any consequences.

He was always frustrated easily when anything like this popped up in his mind. Katniss wouldn't be who she was right now if they lived in a different world without the Games and President Snow, and then they wouldn't have met; but sometimes Gale wished that she would cut him some slack. Couldn't she tell after all this time that they had spent together that he had this weird pulling sensation towards her, that he almost wanted to have her off the 'market' and settled down with him. He didn't care if they were from the Seam as long as he was with her.

She was like freedom, and Gale desired that. He craved her presence. She had become such an important and big part of her life, and her absence would absolutely destroy him. He really couldn't imagine a world without her anymore. And every day he wished that they could be in each other's lives more and more. It wasn't healthy falling for someone this fast and this seriously.

He didn't try to chase her down and see what she was up to, and Katniss was surprised at this. When she turned around to see what was taking him so long for him to chase her, she saw that his eyes had a funny wistful look to them, that they were glazed over with a yearning fire playing in them. She shrugged and didn't consider what it could mean.

She placed the open container on the other end of the set bow and sat down in front of the hole about two yards away from it. Gale would walk into it and set off the chain reactions.

She licked her lips anxiously and watched Gale approach her.

Gale broke out of his thoughts and trotted up to Katniss stopping fifty feet away. She was biting her lip and staring at the valley way beyond there little overlooking rock. Heat flashed through him when he saw her lips. Were they as soft as her skin looked or would they be hard and insulting like her modesty? Gale figured they would be insulting. If he ever approached her like that, well, she would humiliate him like he was just there in his briefs.

He blushed and then accidently snapped a twig in half and she looked at him intently. "You know, I was wondering if we could find some good game and then go to the Hob and maybe get something for Posy and Prim. We would have to be diligent though?"

"Sure, sure. I owe her anyways. Come sit." She agreed passively. Gale looked at her for some explanation. "I bagged some candy from Prim's stash to bring you." Katniss didn't know why, but she felt like she had to do nice things for Gale, to impress him or something.

Thing was, she didn't have too. Gale loved her the way she was. The things she did for him were nice little perks, but he had a small flickering flame of hope in him that it was because she liked him too.

Well of course she liked him, just not that way. Or she didn't know or not if she liked him that way. She hadn't ever had any sort of feelings this serious before. So she couldn't tell the difference.

It was better to keep quiet at this topic for her. It made life easier. "Poor Prim, she's going to have a rough day." Gale said sarcastically, allowing himself to make fun of what he thought Prim's reaction was going to be when she saw her depleted pile of goodies.

"I'll buy her some more after hunting today, like you suggested." Katniss scoffed. Gale made a step towards her. He took another, and another, and another.

Katniss practically buzzed with excitement. He was so close. Three more steps. Two. One.

"What the-?" Gale looked down, breaking contact. "Katniss!" He growled. It was too late. The rock had already tipped over and hit the rigged bow. He tried to duck as the cranberry concoction headed his way. His foot that was in the hole kept him in place and he realized he had to try his very best to keep a manly poker face so that when it splashed all over him he didn't look like a ninny. Katniss had out smarted him and Gale was sure she was very much enjoying the show.

 _Ploosh!_ The lumpy, sticky berries smacked up against his forehead and ran down his face and onto his jacket. He didn't have a smile on his face but his eyes told Katniss that he wasn't mad at her. When she made sure of this, she burst out laughing, and a few tears somehow found their way onto her rosy cheeks. The image of Gale with helpless eyes, positively dripping with humiliation… and vermilion colored cranberry sauce, foot stuck in a snare that he knows and has mastered setting, he might as well be wearing a dress saved for Reaping day.

"Not funny, Katniss. Everdeen, I'm going to kill you." He warned her. Katniss took the threat lightly and rolled onto her back, wheezing into the air.

"It's very funny, Gale Hawthorne." She corrected him smirking like an idiot. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to manage your temper or else I'm gonna pee my pants."

He extracted himself from the snare and hole and ran towards her. She screamed and bolted upright. She managed to get to the base of a tree which she smartly decided to climb since she knew she was in trouble…but not danger… Gale would never dream of hurting her.

"Yield." He ordered, turning her around and pressing her back into the tree. She yelped in surprise but managed a goofy grin and a messy shake of her head. "Yield, Catnip."

"No." She scrunched her brows at him but loved the way her nickname sounded in his formal, warning tone. "I told you that I was going to get you for that."

"That was way escalated." He pointed out. "Now, yield." He leaned in towards her. Both of their hearts beat faster, and Gale didn't want the moment to end. He leaned in even further. Her heart felt lighter than it had in years. Her brain was spinning at the proximity. Sometimes Gale went a little off his rocker. She snickered. And then snorted when she remembered the way Gale looked when the cranberry sauce collided with his face.

"Hell no!" She shoved him off of her playfully and walked to pick up her bow and her sheath of arrows. "I won't say I regret it, 'cause I don't. But I am sorry."

Gale lost his angry flare as quickly as it came. His shoulders came down and his face went back to normal flushed color. He chuckled airily and followed after Katniss, picking up his bow and his own arrows. He picked up both their game bags and headed down the hill to start hunting. "You're ingenious Catnip, you know that?" He nudged her as he told her, as an apology for his rash behavior.

"Yup. I knew that a long time ago." She joked, nudging him back.

"No you didn't." He mumbled. And they settled into silence for tracking.

By the end of the day they have shot eight squirrels and one red-tailed fox, snared five rabbits from Gale's snare lines, and gathered a full game bag's worth of strawberries and blackberries. They also stumbled upon a grove of wild parsley.

"To the Hob?" Gale asked her formally, mocking Effie Trinket's horrible Capitol accent.

"To the Hob!" Katniss replied with equal verve. They smiled at each other and walked in synchronized hunting steps towards the fence. When they stepped inside the district, they dashed across the meadow and made way to the Hob.

"Katniss, Gale." Sae called to them from across the Hob. She was smiling with her grandmotherly snaggle tooth. "What do you two have for me today?"

That was so like Greasy Sae, to get straight to the point. "We're willing to trade two rabbits for two bowls of soup."

"Alright." She patted the two empty bar stools by her countertop. "Let me find my ladle."

"You're going blind, Sae." Gale laughed.

"No makin' fun of this ol' hag." Greasy Sae scolded him teasingly pointing at herself. "Here ya'll go." She said with her heavy southern accent while she handed them their warm bowls.

"We won't. Thanks Sae." Katniss said.

They slurped their soup in silence until a certain redhead decided to join them for a spell. "Katniss, you're looking fine today, got anything for me?"

Gale shifted uncomfortably. "Katniss, we have to go buy Prim and Posy something, remember?" He steered her away from Darius, but Darius followed them out the Hob and down the road.

"Thanks Sae. Bye Darius." Katniss said awkwardly before being dragged out by her wrists from Gale. Gale scowled.

"Anytime." Sae laughed, watching Gale pull the girl out.

"Wonder what that was about." Darius mused to Greasy Sae.

"The boy's in love and is a jealous type."

Darius' mouth went into a big O and he said, "Oops. Did I cross a line or something? Sure wouldn't want to get on his shit list."

"Gale, is this too pink?" Katniss poked Gale in the arm and pointed to the fat spool of coral ribbon.

"Yes." He laughed.

"Fine then. This one?" She pointed to the neighboring spool: salmon.

"Love it." He said mimicking Effie Trinket for the third time that day. "Let's find Prim something now, and then let's go home."

"I'm starving." They both said. They tittered. Then as if on cue both of their stomachs rumbled like lions. They laughed again.

"How 'bout this?" She picked up a little book with a soft light blue leather cover. On the inside there were creamy white pages with blank lines.

"She'll love it." He said softly in her ear coming up behind her. "And I found this for us." He shows his hand out and she sees one stick of rock candy, forest green. It was so Gale to choose the darkest, greenest piece of candy. Gale was pretty pleased with himself when he saw the rock candy.

To him it symbolized that Katniss was his rock and his confidant, that she was sharp, hard, and beautiful. She sparkled like the candy was shiny, and she was unique and one of a kind like the organic shape of the candy. And forest green because it was her favorite color.

To Katniss this act of kindness was to repay her act of kindness with candy earlier that day. But it touched Katniss' heart because Gale chose the color that calmed her the most and it proved how much he cared about her. She touched his arm lightly. "Thank you Gale."

"No problem Katniss." Goose bumps rose on his arm under her soft skin. _Did she feel it too?_ Gale asked, hoping that the intimate moment that just passed hadn't gone unnoticed.

She put her hand back to her side and grabbed the ribbon and the journal from Gale's grip and walked to the front of the store. They quickly paid for the goods from the store owner and sat outside on the steps of the store. "Here." Gale said warmly, handing her half of the stick.

"It's so sweet." She told him, her teeth crunching on the candy. "But now it's stuck in my teeth."

"Don't worry me too." He said testing new waters with the candy by using his back teeth to bite down on it. "Don't make fun of me if you see anything."

"I can't promise anything." She chuckled. "Same for me though."

"Don't count on it." They sat in comfortable silence listening to the sounds of the wind blowing by.

"I can't wait to see Posy's face." Gale said anxiously, shaking his leg.

"I can't wait to see Prim's."

"Well, we'll tell each other tomorrow." Gale announced.

"Full detail please."

"Of course, Catnip." They walked home together in the dark. He dropped her off at her house first, he insisted, even though it was an inconvenience.

They said goodbye and then she shut the door and he walked home alone.

"Prim look what I got you." Katniss said taking off her boots and walking into the small living room where Prim and her mom were reading attentively. Prim looked up and her whole face glowed with happiness and gratefulness.

"Oh Katniss, you didn't have too." But Prim reached for the package anyways. "Katniss, I love it… It's beautiful." Prim gasped. Her blue eyes melted even further if it was possible. Katniss pinched her cheeks and smiled down at her.

"I love you Prim."

"Thank you Katniss, I'm going to keep it forever and ever. I love you too." She reached over and hugged Katniss fiercely.

"Goodnight Little Duck. Goodnight Mother." And Katniss went to bed, hoping to wake on time to go meet Gale in the woods again before school started for the week.

"Posy, look what I got you." Gale said placing his jacket on the kitchen table where he also dropped off his game and Katniss' that she forgot to take home. He would give it to her tomorrow. He found Posy and Vick sitting together in the living room doing a puzzle that Gale made for Vick on his seventh birthday.

"Gawle!" Posy squealed, hopping up from the floor on her two and a half year old legs.

"Posy, a pretty princess like you deserves a pretty pink ribbon." He pulled the satin salmon sash out from his pant pocket and tied it in her shoulder length hair. "You'll be just like Katniss and have a long pretty braid." He told her rubbing her nose with his. She laughed like tiny bells and Gale's spirits lifted.

"Kat-nish." Posy tried the word and to her it sounded strange and foreign. She looked up at Gale's handsome face for approval.

"Yes, Posy. I love you."

"Wuv?" Gale grinned at Posy and couldn't help but feel the painful tug at his heart that Katniss never wanted to have kids, and he so badly did. This was his last Reaping, shouldn't he start to find somebody to settle down with? All of his friends were starting to get serious. Why was he the one going back and forth from this girl to that girl? He wanted Katniss but took out his 'frustrations' on the Slagheap girls.

He could only imagine a future with Katniss. He hoped she felt the same way. Gale put Posy down and gave Vick a goodnight kiss. "Bleh. Gale." Vick whined.

"Aw, come on buddy, I'm not that old."

"Sure, sure." Vick replied casually, yawning and then going back to the game. Gale knew he picked that up from Katniss. That thought made his grin turn into a smirk. That was his Catnip.

"I'm going to start dinner." Gale announced taking himself to the kitchen. He cut the rabbit quickly when he remembered they gave the fox to the butcher: Rooba. That didn't cross his mind when they did that. Did Katniss remember? How many extra coins did they really get from Rooba? He'd figure it out tomorrow after school. Then he tossed the meat into a small pan above an open flame stove.

"Smells edible Gale." Rory teased. Gale noticed now how tall Rory was getting. Still a foot and a half shorter than Gale but still, Rory was only twelve.

"Thanks. You want to taste it first?"

"As much as I'd love to, no thanks."

"Suit yourself."

"Gale do you think Prim likes me?" Rory asked after a moment of settled silence.

Gale's brows twitched and he rubbed his hands together while formulating an answer. "Ask her yourself, little brother." He ended up with. He ruffled Rory's hair.

"Why should I when even you haven't even done that?" Rory fought back.

"Yes! Prim likes you! No need to raise your voice!" Gale yelled at him, slopping the meat and some horrible flat grain bread onto five plates.

"Check yourself before you wreck yourself Gale." Rory smirked.

"Mmhmm." Gale grumbled.

The family ate together and then split off to go to bed or finish homework which they didn't do earlier. Gale clomped off to bed, fatigue finally hitting him. He hoped Katniss wasn't hungry. He slid out of his boots and pants, changed his shirt for a clean white cotton one and then went to his separate bed on the far side of his bedroom. Gale was fortunate, he got his own bed, Rory and Vick had to share. Posy was fortunate, she got a separate room.

Gale wasn't one to complain though. Gale might have lived in the Seam, but he had all the things he needed to make him potentially happy:

Posy, Rory, Vick, and his mother, they all made him very happy. Food which helped him sleep at night. A solace which he called the woods. A weapon which made him feel in control. A future that he knew was planned out.

Now all he needed was the girl that would fill in the other half of his visions. The thing that would bring him the most fun and joy. The girl that he needed was, Katniss Everdeen.

If only she could read his damn mind.


	3. Stalker?

It was early in the morning when Peeta rose from his bed to go check on his favorite thing. He quietly extracted himself from his warm, rough shaft bed and slipped into his new pressed khakis and grey V-neck pull over shirt. He clomped down the stairs knowing he could never be quiet and hoped that his family thought he was going to start the first few loafs of bread for the first morning customers. He did take last night's dough and put it in the oven and laced up his shiny shoes. He exited through the back door and out the white picket fence. He had learned from school that way back before the Games the perfect house was made of white walls and bricks and a white picket fence.

Sometimes Peeta liked to think his family was perfect like the mind picture those details created for him, but no matter how hard be believed it, it wasn't. He wished he had the right materials to draw it out, or enough kindness in his mother so he could frost the cakes with that much detail.

Peeta made a sharp turn to the right and stepped to a light jog so he wouldn't be seen by the early miners walking towards the entrance of the mines. He knew his way almost by heart now by visiting over and over every morning to make sure she was okay. He slowed only a few times to re-check his direction and found his way to her backyard.

She was asleep in her bedroom.

The lights were off and the house was silent. He sat down a bit away from the house and hoped to hear her stir soon. Maybe it was strange that he did this, but Katniss had a natural type of beauty that just made his day in ashy district twelve a lot brighter. Maybe less than five minutes later he heard the first creak symbolizing she had awoken. He stood up and made his way to the kitchen window.

She had her hair out of her braid but was already in her regular attire. Her shirt was black, and her leggings were olive green. Her brown boots brought the whole outfit together and Peeta thought that he had fell even further in love with her right then and there.

Katniss put a small kettle on her open flame stove and went back up into her room. Peeta focused on getting his heart rate to slow. He scanned her first floor quickly, noticing the stale pile of dead squirrels on the table and an adjacent one of skins. _Were the ones she traded with his father old?_ He asked himself, wondering if Katniss was getting more money than she should. Still, he would never give _her_ less.

Katniss tumbled back down the stairs and put mint and clove spices in the boiling water. She hummed a forbidden song as she skinned the animals with a look of love on her face. _Does she think of that other boy Gale when she's not around him? Not fair. I have no chance._

"Who's there?" _Crap! Did I say that out loud?_ Peeta ducked down and dashed across her lawn and back to the bakery before Katniss could catch him and mark him down as 'crazy' and never ever consider him.

Katniss was humming a song her father taught her. She missed her father at times but never really showed anybody. When Katniss lost him to the mines Katniss wasn't sure if she would ever be able to let anybody in to her life again.

But that was before she met Gale.

Thanks to Gale, Katniss was alive. Thanks to Gale, Katniss wasn't just surviving, she was living. Gale had this way of calming her down, or accepting her attitude and working around it for the day. That reassured Katniss.

But sometimes Katniss was scared that when Gale found someone else, he wouldn't have time for her. And Katniss knew nobody else would put up with Katniss' crap like Gale would. She didn't know Peeta was all too willing. She just knew he was a little strange.

Katniss was used to people cutting across her dingy yard to get to places faster. She just wasn't used to people standing in front of her kitchen window and peering into her house like it was their job. She didn't quite catch the face of the verdict, but when she opened the front door she saw the imperceptible flash of platinum hair, she got a pretty good idea of who it was.

When she poured her tea into a long thermos, she headed out for the woods hoping that the drink wouldn't be cool by the time she reached Gale. She needed to make up for yesterday's shenanigans. Clove Mint Tea was Gale's favorite. Last year for his birthday, Katniss had given him four tea bags filled with the mixed spices. Her birthday had already passed so he couldn't repay the favor. Katniss told him he wasn't allowed to, but he said that her sixteenth birthday was going to be huge because of it.

She hoped he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. She owed Gale so much already and if he did anything for her, she wouldn't have anything to give back to him.

She passed the fence remembering a hundred times where Gale would courteously lift up the bottom cross wires for her so she could squirm underneath the hole with ease, or where he would go under first and playfully tell her she couldn't throw her hunting bag over the top of it.

Gale was so good at being light in a dark situation, sometimes she thought that she would never find anybody else that could keep her spirits up. She grabbed her bow at the log where she always kept it hidden and noticed that Gale's wasn't there.

 _He's here._

She felt the muscles in her face relaxing and her pace quickening as she climbed up to the overlooking ledge. She reached the edge of the tree line in front of where Gale was sitting; staring off into the distance musing about something he undoubtedly would share with her once he noticed her presence.

"You didn't have dinner last night Catnip." He says fumbling with his game bag.

"I wasn't hungry." _How could he tell?_ Was her question. She jogged lightly over to her spot on the rock and sat down expectantly. "Well, feed me."

"Alright, alright." Gale took out a loaf of bread and handed it to her. "I hunted this one down for you." He joked.

They both laughed heartily. "Mm. Still warm. Thanks Gale." She was too caught up in staring at his grey eyes that she almost forgot about the thermos she was carrying. "Speaking of warm, I can only hope…" She tossed the bottle at him and watched as he caught in without breaking eye contact. He took his gaze down as he unscrewed the top and inhaled the strong scent.

"Ah, my favorite, Catnip I owe you one." He winked at her and then gulped down at least half of it.

"Safe some for me." She cried and lunged for the bottle.

"You get the bread and I get the tea. Deal?" He pulled the hand holding the thermos over his head and stuck out his right hand for Katniss to shake.

Katniss looked like a helpless dog, eyes wide and arms reaching up over her head for the thermos. "We split the bread and I get the rest of the tea. Deal?"

"No. Neither of us gets the bread and I get the tea." He was toying with her now.

She couldn't tell… obviously. "But that means I get nothing."

"Precisely." And he flashed her one of his most flirtatious grins. Katniss blinked and shook her head. She didn't just see that. She took a step back and warned him:

"I'll jump on you if I have to."

"But you failed to notice I haven't secured the lid on again. It will all go bye-bye if you decide to jump on me." Gale was hoping somewhere in his heart that Katniss would jump on him and he could bring the term to her mind… she would have jumped him. The thought made his heart stutter.

"God damn it to hell, Gale. That's not even fair, I made it."

"Well I bought the bread."

"With my dinner."

"Touché."

"It's toosh."

"Sure it is."

"Gah! I give up. I'll eat the bread and drink the tea." She curled her lip.

"You don't understand the term 'give up', do you?" Gale said lowering his hand hesitantly.

"Fine, drink the tea. I'll go drink the cold spring water." She huffed and stalked off, picking up her bread with her.

"You do that. I hear water is better for your health than sweet drinks anyways." He guffawed and followed ten feet behind her after thoughtfully picking up their weapons and handing her a bow.

"You're a very considerate person, you know that Gale?" Katniss told him partly sarcastic but partly truthful after a moment or two of silence.

"I've been told that many a times." He said back, just as haughtily and insincere. Katniss was searching the ground for signs of freshwater.

"Good for you." She snapped.

Gale didn't know how to react to that. So he didn't. "Katniss," Gale called to her. She was straying from their usual route. "Katniss." He called again hoping that was enough to get her out of her hunting mode trance.

"What Gale?" She hissed darkly. "I'm tracking a deer."

Gale laughed again. "Catnip," He said condescendingly. "What are you going to do with a hundred pound deer when you kill it?"

The deer scampered off from the sound of Gale's throaty laugh and Katniss sent daggers his way. "Sell it to the peacekeepers." She told him with vigor. "I haven't seen a deer in a year. Now we have nothing." She added glumly.

"We'll find something, we always do. Stop dillydallying and we'll go check the snare line." He assured her.

"I'm still thirsty."

"Here." He said and handed over the tea. "I'm still hungry."

She nodded from behind the tipped back thermos and handed him the unpenetrated loaf. Gale briefly thought about what she would look like drinking a beer from Ripper.

Gale ripped off a portion of the flaky piece of bread with his teeth. Katniss gulped heavily and handed the bottle back to Gale while he gave her, her own half of the bread. "I'm glad we could work that out." He said with a mouthful.

"Uh huh." She nodded, agreeing, but not really paying attention, adverting her focus somewhere else. She unsheathed an arrow and nocked it. After a few shallow breaths she pulled the string back and puffed out white air. Gale didn't see the arrow fly but he heard the small thud of the squirrel falling out of the tree. Katniss reached for another arrow and shot another one from the sky.

Gale stayed still as best as possible as Katniss took a small break and then pulled one more. "Another fox, that's crazy." She mumbled and then…

 _Zap._ Gale remembered that last night he noticed the fox was missing from his game bag. They went to go retrieve the animals, Gale noticing the signature punctures in each animal's eye. "Katniss there was something I remembered."

Katniss looked at him to continue.

"Did you take the fox home last night?"

"No. You did." She said pulling the arrows out and wiping them on some leaves Gale had gathered for her.

"No, I didn't see them when I emptied the bag." He told her, stressing his innocence.

"I guess we traded it then, I honestly remember nothing from yesterday except the rock candy." They shared a warm glance.

"No, but we didn't have any coins from Rooba, and I'm pretty sure I would have taken a shower if we visited Rooba's shop. It smells in there and she has no clean hygiene." Gale shuddered.

"Well, let's just be more aware of where we place our bags in the Hob then. Those dingy thieves." Katniss suggested and then shook her fist at nothing.

Gale chuckled briefly and then frowned. "It was a fox."

"So?" Katniss said stifling a smile.

"I don't know, it's just I never really got to look at it, or eat it. Foxes are beautiful."

"Well I just shot one, so you can marvel at it all you want before I skin it." She told him throwing the fox in his direction and stuffing the two other squirrels in her bag.

He caught it with ease and held it like a baby with much precaution. It reminded Katniss of him with Posy on Thanksgiving and she felt a tug at her chest where she wondered if maybe having a baby wouldn't be such a bad thing. "What does the fox say?" Gale asked randomly.

"What in the world Gale?"

"What does the fox _say_?" Gale said again. "Ducks go quack, cats go meow,"

"Buttercup hisses." Katniss disagreed.

"Or hiss," He added for her benefit. "But what does the fox say?"

"Who cares?" She said matching his tone.

"I don't know." Gale replied placing the fox into his own game bag. When Katniss sends him a strange yet nostalgic look he says: "Sorry. The eyes were starting to freak me out."

She snickered. "Alright Gale." She called over her shoulder walking away from him.

Gale watched her walk away and then told her he was going to check the snare line. "I'm going to go check the snare line."

"It's this way." She corrected him. He blushed even though she couldn't see it.

"I knew that."

By nine o' clock they had a considerably good amount of game and Gale made sure Katniss put half of it in her bag. "You have to eat Katniss."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure thing." She grumbled just as her stomach did. "Let's just get out of the woods before we're late for school."

"Good plan. We'll trade after school then?" He asked packing up his supplies and throwing both of their game bags over his shoulder.

She nodded and they made their way back to the district. Katniss hid their supplies in the hollowed out log and met up with Gale at the fence near the meadow. Gale pushed the bags under the hole and scurried under, and Katniss followed suit.

They dropped the game off at Katniss' home first, ensuring that Gale bring his family over for dinner. Katniss hated to have dinner alone. It was usually just her and Prim and maybe her mom would add in an unrelated comment every now and then. Gale's family was so lively and warm that sometimes Katniss would become confused and want a larger family.

But nobody wanted a larger family. It was usually a mistake, scratch that, many mistakes when the family was a large one.

Katniss could barely stand her own tiny family at times. Why did she have to have the life she did? It wasn't a fair life. Katniss became breadwinner at age eleven.

Eleven.

Not even a teenager. Not even old enough for the Reapings. Eleven.

Gale stood next to Katniss in the small bathroom while she re-combed her hair and braided it down her back again. He smiled admiringly at her, thinking that she wasn't that much shorter than him anymore.

Sure, she was still a good seven inches shorter than him, but she was tall. And every boy in her year at school, loved that. But boy, Gale sure didn't. He was glad that nobody had approached her yet, living on the rumor that she and him were together.

Gale didn't know if he would be able to live with himself if he never got the chance to tell Katniss how he was beginning to feel about her. "You need a haircut." He joked as they slowly progressed towards the school.

"You do too." She quirked her mouth at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

"You do."

"Do you like it short?" He waggled his eyebrows but she was too busy overthinking the question that she didn't notice.

"Yes," She said unsurely gauging his reaction. Gale smiled, pleased that she subconsciously told him that she likes his hair short and as his last girlfriend would put it: sexy. "It makes you look," She paused.

 _Sexy? Flirtatious? Hot?_

"Older… something like that. Dangerous." She concluded, jutting out her bottom lip for approval of her observation.

"I like that."

"Do you like _my_ hair short?" Katniss retorted curiously.

"No. I was kidding."

"It's a good thing it's long then." She said gratefully. She was glad that he didn't despise what she looked like every day; that was a relief. He was wondering if she liked that he thought she looked good.

They reached the school and Gale patted her head. "Don't get in trouble Catnip." He told her.

"Sure, sure. You too Hawthorne."

"No! The surnames." Gale feigned internal pain. She laughed.

Peeta stood by, about twenty yards away from the entrance of the school. He was in Katniss' first, third, and seventh periods. Peeta scowled as he tuned in on their conversation. "Try not to stab anybody, at least if you do let me know so I can watch."

"There's only one person I want to stab right now." Katniss said darkly. Gale sent her a questioning look. Peeta wondered as well. "The baker's son."

Peeta's mouth dropped. What did he do to Katniss?

"What did he do Katniss?" Gale growled.

"He was at my house this morning… watching me." Peeta was embarrassed. He didn't think he had been caught. He wanted to go up to Katniss and tell her that he was just looking out for her, but Peeta didn't have the guts. He didn't want to mess up his chances with Katniss as much as they already were.

Gale saw red. Of course Peeta would be the peeping Tom. But Gale never thought Peeta was that type of guy. "Stay away from him, okay."

"If he's dead I don't have too."

They laughed darkly and Peeta slipped away into the rough crowd, hurt and sad. Peeta would never attain Katniss for she was like freedom. Something else too, that Peeta couldn't explain, just that he was too short to reach her heart. Apparently Gale could though. They looked like a couple.

Perfect dark hair, deep silver eyes, nice skin, and their subtle but totally noticeable love towards each other. They were so in sync it was scary, so in sync that they could finish each other's sentences. All Peeta wanted was someone like that for him, and also…

Peeta was in love with her voice.

He hadn't heard it in five years though.

Katniss said goodbye to Gale and headed towards her first class. Peeta chose a spot next to Katniss' favorite desk and stuck his nose in a book and waited for the students to file in. Katniss entered the classroom with the largest wave of kids. She frowned when she noticed Peeta next to her but didn't question it. Peeta pretended not to feel the icy glares she was shooting his way.

"Good morning class." The teacher started. "Today we are going to learn about coal production from before Panem Era." He noticed how Katniss perked up about pre-Panem and how she deflated when she realized it was about coal.

Later in class Peeta was staring down at his paper, idly doodling a flower. It was Primrose flower, and Katniss didn't like that. "Psst." She hissed leaning over subtly.

"Hmm?" Peeta looked up like a deer behind a nocked arrow: wide eyes and confused expression.

"Stop drawing that." She commanded him. Peeta passively agreed forgetting her earlier conversation with Gale that he dropped in on. He didn't ask her why because he knew why. She didn't want him drawing the flower her sister was named after.

After class he followed her to her locker, he watched as she cocked her chin and Gale and him with his friends doing the same thing back at her. They did this often. Though sometimes Peeta would've liked to think that they got angry at each other and that's why they didn't do it sometimes.

Thing was: He was correct about that.

But Gale and Katniss were in a good mood today. They were going to have dinner together and crack the mystery about the disappearing fox from yesterday after school.

Peeta saw Gale step away from his friends and followers. Katniss and Gale seemed to be having a conversation by the looks of it.

' _Need to tell you something.'_ Gale said flashing his gaze to the empty closet.

She followed him into the closet with everyone staring at their backs in wonder. "What's up?"

"I found the thief." Katniss nodded her head, pleased with his job. She had a million questions in her head. Where did they steal it? How did they do it without them knowing? Why did they steal it?

"Who did it?"

"It was oldest trouble maker from the community house." Gale said. "He followed me to my lunch pail when I bailed from first class."

Katniss was seething with anger. Her cheeks turned pink and she practically steamed. "I'm gonna kill that bastard. I told him to leave you alone."

"Wait, what?" Gale asked her grabbing her shoulders. She looked at him and explained their first meet up.

"I overheard him; his name is Rudd, and his pal, Jeffory, talking about how they were going to start stealing because food amounts dropped in the community home. They started listing names and then ours came up," she skipped over the part where Jeffory suggested threatening to rape Katniss if she didn't hand over game. "And I marched over to him and slapped him. _'Stay away from Gale and I or it's you who we'll be hunting down.'_ "

You see it was no secret that they hunted, nearly all the residents from the Seam knew, I few lucky Townies knew and a few peacekeepers too.

"Nice Catnip."

"Thanks."

"Well so now what do we do?" Gale asked her looking for a quick answer.

"We're not going to beat him up. That would be immature." She told him after thinking it through in her head. She really wanted to.

"We could report him." Gale suggested. Katniss' eyes gleamed at the idea but then she quickly frowned.

"Imagine how terrible that would be for him. He has a little sister in Vick's year." She pointed out. "Maybe we should just try something public at school where he gets embarrassed and doesn't try it again." She offered.

"You're ingenious Catnip." He winked at her.

She smiled at him and he remembered her age. Gale was immediately saddened. What he and Katniss did… that was illegal. What he and Katniss were… that wasn't. What he wanted them to be, that would be. "You told me that yesterday."

"I did indeed." He lead them out of the closet, and everyone was still there maybe even closer to the door than Katniss would have thought possible.

Peeta noticed Katniss' flushed cheeks first. _What happened in there?_ Peeta wondered.

At the end of the day Katniss pulled Peeta to the side of the building when she saw him outside. "Why were you watching me this morning?" She accused.

Peeta said nothing.

"Just don't do it again, or else."

Peeta said nothing. He couldn't speak around her even though he was told he was great with words. He just didn't know what to say around her.

She walked away and he stared at her subconscious sway of the hips. Her voice was eight times prettier.

"Where is Rudd?" Katniss asked an approaching Gale.

"Going to the Hob with Jeffory of course."

"Well then I guess we'll have to get Greasy Sae in on it."

They headed over to the Hob empty handed. "I don't give handouts." She told the two.

"We need your help." Gale told Sae, plopping himself down on a stool. Katniss nodded.

"We need you to ask that boy over there if he wants food, we'll handle the rest from there." Katniss explained pointing to Rudd, who was disturbingly flirting with Ripper.

"What's in it for me, eh?"

"Just knowing that you have two kids who are grateful for your soup every other day." Gale gave a crooked smile that showed his gums. He couldn't hold the pose long enough, because then he burst out laughing.

"Whatever, y'all need help; I'll give it to ya… I just fully expect double the amount of rabbits." She bargained.

"Sure, sure." They both said flatly. They were sort of desperate.

They waited for Sae to take the lead. She walked up to Rudd and Jeffory to leave Ripper's stall. "Ey! Young lads over there. Want some of ol' Greasy Sae's soup for free?"

Gale and Katniss held their snickers. Gale noticed how Katniss' nose twitched whenever she was happy but had to hide it. He stored that down deep in his Katniss file in his brain so that he could use it for his benefit later on.

"Is this some sort of trick?" Rudd asked angrily, walking up to Sae and challenging her generosity.

Sae looked at them for instruction. "Actually Rudd, it is." Katniss said hopping off her stool and standing next to Gale. "We know you stole the fox from us yesterday. You can't just have things for free when you want them. Try and approach us next time, we might be able to work out a deal or someth-."

"Next time?" Gale interrupted her and stood. "Next time you're hungry try doing something proactive about it so you won't be hungry anymore. You stole from us and should be put in the stocks."

"Your girlfriend tell you not to turn me in?" Rudd taunted.

"She's not my girlfriend. She's my better half." He corrected him. "We're not putting you in the stocks for the sake of your sister."

Rudd seemed to remember his sister and then his expression softened. "Thank you Gale. I don't know what would happen to her if I weren't there for her. Mum already went crazy, and dad's gone." He choked on the last word.

Katniss and Gale panicked. They didn't expect this to happen. Jeffory patted Rudd's back awkwardly while Gale uncertaintly shoved a rabbit into Rudd's hands. "We're sorry." He whispered and they left the old building.

"Maybe we should stick to violence." Katniss suggested lightly.

"We suck at being peaceful."

"That's why we hunt, Gale." She shook her head at him. "Though we really should never try and Dr. Phil anybody's problems."

The term ' _Dr. Phil_ ' was apparently created after a man's death way before Panem was even in running. The man was wise and helpful in the way that he told people how to fix their problems.

He agreed with her and then they agreed to go get Gale's family and bring them over for dinner. In the end, Hazelle convinced Katniss that they would be fine for dinner. Gale didn't want to stay home, but he did have work to do around the house. "Catnip, maybe tomorrow we can go sign up for tesserae?" He asked her. "If you're up for it, of course."

Hazelle's smile visibly tightened and so did everybody else's in the house. "I am." Katniss said strongly.

"Alright. Goodnight."

"G'night." She saluted him playfully and walked home while the sky fazed from dusk to twilight.


	4. First Kiss(es)

There was a layer of snow coating the entire district, effectively trapping everyone indoors, slowly losing money, slowly becoming hungry. School was closed, and so were the mines. It was becoming a rough place in the district, and yet, the Hawthorne's wouldn't let Katniss leave to go home.

"Dear, it's practically a blizzard out there; we can't have you wandering around alone." Hazelle reasoned with her.

"Hazelle, I need to get back to Prim." Katniss reminded her.

"Oh yes." Hazelle hummed thoughtfully. "I have an idea." Katniss looked expectantly at Hazelle. Gale stalked into the room from his bedroom. He had just finished his homework. "Yes. Gale, would you take Katniss over to her house to go gather some clothes, her mom and Prim? Bring them back here and they can stay with us until this horrid weather passes."

Gale looked at Katniss' face with an amused expression. "Sure Ma."

"No, no." Katniss shook her head. "We'll be fine Hazelle, you've hosted us to many times."

"Nonsense. It'll be nice for Posy and the boys to have someone else to play with. I insist." Gale got on his coat. He knew that Katniss would give in. He stepped into his boots and sat down at the table to lace them.

"But Hazelle," Katniss objected. She looked at Gale then. "Gale, make her see reason." Katniss pouted, jutting out her lip and hip to the side.

"I'm on her side this time Catnip." Gale's heart was fluttering. A girl had never stayed overnight at the Hawthorne house. Rory would be thrilled. Gale would be thrilled.

Katniss opened her mouth to protest. _Three, two…_ Gale thought. "Alright."

"Great." Hazelle clapped her hands together and rubbed them to get warm. "And if you have any blankets by all means bring them."

Katniss nodded and then went to go grab her jacket from where it was draped on top of the couch. Gale came up behind her and touched her elbows with his hands. "Thanks for doing that." He told her.

"Yeah, well." She turned around and looked up at him. She was used to Gale being this close to her in the woods, but in front of his mom was just strange and foreign to her. She shoved him away from her and Gale frowned. She didn't see.

"It was kind of you."

"And you're telling me I'm never kind?" Katniss said incredulously. They laughed a chorus of soft breathy laughs. "C'mon, let's go fetch my family." She came back and grabbed his hand to pull him to the door.

She waited by it. "What?" Her foot tapped against the floor impatiently. "Am I supposed to open the door for you?" He asked the question like it was despicable and impossible.

"Duh." She twisted the knob, paused and Gale noticed the spark in her eye. _Brace for insult…_ Gale stiffened. She threw the door open extravagantly, "Ladies first."

"That was low." Gale said as they walked.

"Yes, below the belt low." Katniss retorted walking out first anyways. "Crap, it's freezing." She hissed once Gale shut the door behind him.

"I could keep you warm." He suggested innocently. Katniss deliberated on that. Either be cold the whole ten minutes to her house, or be warm on the way there and get a coat at home and be warm back. She liked the sound of the latter.

"Okay." She squished herself up around Gale's front side and he put his arms around her shoulders.

"The sun will come out to tomorrow." Gale sang, his voice cracking in all the wrong places. Katniss stifled her laughter as he continued. "Bet your bottom dollar." He said swinging himself and Katniss back and forth.

Katniss couldn't contain it. She roared with laughter and joined in. "That tomorrow!" She said sounding horribly unpracticed on purpose. "There will be sun."

"Just thinking about tomorrow, clears away the cobwebs."

"And the sorrow." They stopped singing after that because even if they did look to tomorrow being a better day, it wouldn't. People would still be starving, people would still be dying. The capitol would still be thriving.

The shuffling of their feet filled the silence that commenced as they made their way to Katniss' house. Katniss appreciated the warmth Gale gave her. His arms were comforting and they were strong. "Gale,"

"Yes Katniss?" Gale asked her.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to stay at your house until the weather lightens up?"

"Catnip." Gale warned her. "I wouldn't want it any other way. If we were trapped at different houses how would we survive?"

"I don't know. I don't think it's that hard to travel from house to house. I feel we would survive." Katniss answered honestly.

"Katniss, we see each other practically every day and the majority of it too, if I couldn't see you less than I already do now, I'd die of boredom."

"But Posy and the boys are a handful. Everything's new with them; you can't be bored around them." Katniss objected in a light tone.

"True, but you're the only person besides my mom I actually stand talking to as an equal." Gale told her, adding in that last part because Posy, Vick and Rory were all little. Katniss nodded. She understood. She only had one friend in school. Surprisingly, her friend was the Mayor's daughter. Sometimes Katniss thought that she was so lucky to have found Gale.

In any other circumstance of her life she would have never been friends with Gale. But now that she was, she couldn't imagine life without him there by her side. He was such a good friend to Katniss that she couldn't even call him just a friend. There was something more about the way he was protective over her, something more about the way he cared for her and made conversation with her.

She didn't have a word that fit Gale's relationship with her. She didn't have a single word to describe Gale, period.

"Katniss I didn't see you put your name in for tesserae. How much did you apply for?" Gale asked Katniss before the pause got too long.

Two weeks ago they went to the Justice Building and put their names in for tesserae. Gale had been led to the eighteen year old booth and Katniss was dragged into the crowded sixteen year old sign up table.

Katniss had always hated signing up for the grain and oil. She didn't think it was necessary. But it was. It made a huge difference. Every year she went, more children were there signing up for tesserae. Katniss hated being a part of huge events. The warmth of bodies pressed together made her dizzy and heated and the nervous mood of everyone there always weighed her down farther into her father's comforting jacket. The people behind her had pushed her up to the table. "How many entries?" The tight faced lady had asked her.

Katniss had thought about how many she should put in earlier that day. When you signed up for tesserae the amount of names you put in was the equivalent amount of sacks of grain and oil you received per month. "Five."

There was a reason she was choosing to put extra names in. She knew that the winter was going to be a rough one. It hadn't gotten cold yet, and it was December now. She was actually very grateful for this decision because later on when she received her tesserae, first she had hidden it, and second she had made four big loaves of the terrible bread from the grains and she added yeast that she had traded and made some delicious grain bread that was a big hit with Prim. They hadn't gone to bed with stomachs rumbling that night.

Katniss hoped that Gale was only putting in his required amount. Which unfortunately happened to also be five entries. Katniss was going to surprise him with the extra supplies later. She didn't want to exactly tell him though, because she knew he would freak.

Gale looked down at Katniss. "Well…?" Gale motioned for her to continue.

"Five." She answered passively. Gale saw red. How was he supposed to keep Katniss safe if she was practically putting her Reaping slips in Effie Trinket's creepy claw-like nails? He flared his nostrils. He dropped his arms and push Katniss out in front of him so he could see her face.

"What the hell Katniss?"

"Gale, I'm sorry." She pleaded wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. Tears sprang up from her eyes for no reason.

"How in the world can you even think about being sorry?" Gale yelled. He took a threatening step forward.

She took a reciprocating step back. "I'm sorry. It's not going to make a difference anyways. Don't worry about m-"

"Not going to make a difference? It sure as hell will. You want me not to worry? God dammit Katniss, I swear, you'll be the death of me."

Katniss was taken aback. Why was Gale acting this way? He had no reason to be this outraged, but Katniss had to admit that it did stir something new inside of her that she hadn't ever felt before. "No I won't. Why are you so angry?"

"Because I fucking love you Katniss Everdeen. I'm in love with you and I don't want the Capitol shipping you off to your death because _I'll_ die if _you_ do."

Katniss said nothing.

Gale flushed from his anger subsiding, and in embarrassment.

Katniss stared.

Gale stared.

"I'm sorry." He finally whispered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." He turned part way around ready to head back to his home without Katniss. He could not believe he just did that. He wanted to take it back. If he could wish for anything he would wish to take that back. He messed up big time. He knew it. Katniss wasn't looking for someone to love. She never wanted anything to do with that.

How could he have been so stupid? Sure the pounding in his heart was maddening every time she was around. Sure heat flushed up through him every time they were in the woods together and she had to maneuver herself around him in provocative ways. Sure his heart tinged every time her tinkling laugh sounded.

Sure all of that drove him to insanity, but he didn't even know that he was in love with her.

It was sort of a subconscious realization.

But he sure did feel all that love right now. Katniss was mute; he couldn't even hear her breathing. Gale felt all his emotions bubbled up into one and he gave a roar in a fit of rage.

He wanted to be her friend, and not have anything awkward between them. Maybe that wasn't possible, but he was going to try. He desperately looked into the snowy sky for a shooting star, but didn't find anything but the ashy snowflakes swirling around him. He couldn't see Katniss anymore… Maybe she had run away or maybe it was because the wind had picked up and the blizzard was bringing heavier sheets of snow.

Katniss knew Gale. She knew him better than he did. But she never expected this.

Gale loved her. Yes, she understood that. Gale was in love with her. She didn't see how that was possible.

She did understand that they were close friends and so acting perverted was fine. But when it wasn't a joke, it wasn't funny.

But other than the fact that she was shocked, she was thrilled. She didn't know that Gale would ever fill this position in her life. He was the most important person in her life after Prim.

"Katniss?" He called. "If you're there, say something."

But Katniss didn't know what to say back. What were you supposed to say back to someone who just told you they loved you, no, in love with you? She didn't know. So she improvised. "Gale," She reached out for him saying his name simply, hoping that he would calm down at her calling his name. Without him up against her, she was freezing in her thread bare sweater.

A hand appeared from the snow and grabbed her extended one. "Gale." She latched onto his hand and pulled him to her. She dove under his chin and curled up to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Don't be sorry. Please don't be sorry. Don't leave me." She pleaded. She loved Gale, she knew that. But the idea of being in love with him was going to take a while for her to get used to.

She took a deep breath and inhaled a big breath of Gale's scent. Okay maybe not that hard to get used to.

She never wanted to fall in love with somebody, that lead to terrible things that she couldn't even think about without crying.

But during Thanksgiving she remembered the way he had held Posy, scorned Prim, Vick and Rory. He was more than she could ever be. More than she could ever ask for.

How did someone like Gale, fall in love with someone like her?

She felt lighter somehow knowing that he would always be there for her.

She couldn't explain what she was feeling, even if she tried. She knew she had never thought of Gale like _that,_ but she did like the sound of it.

"I won't be the one leaving you Catnip." He whispered fervently in her ear. And then he leaned down nervously.

Katniss lifted her face not knowing what to expect, but wanting it to happen too. They paused before each other gauging the other's reactions. "Do it already." Katniss huffed. Gale grumbled something unintelligible but he sounded happy and leaned down to place his lips on top of hers. It was small, tiny, sweet, light, airy, chaste but Katniss ignited with heat when their mouths touched. She wasn't cold anymore.

She never had any reason to touch Gale's face, or his arms, or his back. They were things that she touched because he was a friend. A pat on the back when he missed shooting an animal. Clasping hands and jumping around like toddlers because he did kill and animal. Hip bumping him when she wanted to make a joke. Stroking the hair out of his face, because he never did it himself, and it bothered Katniss.

Now that she thought about it, she was a very inappropriate young lady. They were always really intimate moves on her part, but they had good intentions. Had Katniss been leading Gale on this whole time?

No, never. She couldn't believe that she had been doing those things to Gale already.

For a brief moment, she thought about how she wouldn't be acting any different around Gale if they amped up their status.

But now she was aware of herself doing this and it felt… off. Doing them now was intimate in a way Katniss was unfamiliar with. It made her flush because she didn't know what she was doing and it didn't feel right to her.

She wasn't used to it.

Gale leaned into Katniss' mouth deeper, though it was still light. Something felt right doing this though, Katniss concluded.

He straightened a bit, like he was going to stop and Katniss wasn't done. She wanted to test something before he pulled back, before she promised herself never to do it again. She pulled Gale's hair, bringing him lower to her. She was still on her tiptoes. He breathed into her mouth. Katniss' insides went up in flames again and she dreamed herself clawing at Gale's back like a ravenous mutt, using her body like a pickaxe to grind away at Gale's, and her lips trailing down his face, down his neck, down his chest… down, down, down-

Gale pulled away from her because she was shaking violently. "Katniss what's wrong?"

She shivered. "Too warm." She croaked.

He guffawed and threw his arm over her shoulder and walked forward. "Don't you mean too cold? In that terribly thin cardigan of yours?"

She nodded agreeing with him and somehow flushed. She was fine with Gale's arm over her because they normally did that, but she didn't want him to be displaying themselves as a unit… in that way, every day. Katniss was scared. She loved Gale, very much, but she didn't think she knew how to be whatever they call it… a lover.

"Sorry." Gale was very happy. He had caused Katniss to admit that he made her feel warm inside. That alone made Gale _rise_ to cloud nine. Gale couldn't help but act cocky. That was amazing, indescribable and beautiful. He couldn't believe he had wished to take that back. Kissing Katniss was like kissing a diamond. He wasn't ever going to let her go. And he knew what he was going to do with his life now. He knew what he had to find next. And it wouldn't be that hard to find. After all, he had the resources.

They shuffled twenty yards praying they were going in the right direction. The kiss had shaken them both, very thoroughly. They found her house thankfully and Katniss kicked the door open with fervor. Desperately clawing for a blanket to wrap herself around from the front room. Gale followed her into the kitchen where she lit two candles, one for herself, one for Gale. "I'm going to get stuff before I wake them." She avoided making eye contact with him because she knew that if she did, she would turn an amazingly scarlet red, and he would be able to plainly see it.

She scuttled off up the stairs to her cold bedroom and stuffed a bag with two changes of her warmest clothes and Prim's as well. She tiptoed into her mom's room finding Prim nestled up against her mother's back.

She looked so peaceful, but pretty soon these peaceful nights would turn into Prim's worst nightmares. Her first Reaping was this year. The thought alone was enough to make Katniss gag.

Gale waited in the kitchen for Katniss to call Prim and her mom down. They were napping in their mom's room together because it was so cold inside the Everdeen house. Gale noticed that Katniss had a pile of skins sitting on top of the counter. He examined a few pelts and hummed in approval, usually he was better at removing the skin cleanly from the animal, but Katniss was doing a pretty good job.

Katniss.

Her name was soft when he thought it. It rolled off his tongue like he imagined the District Four waves sounded when they crashed on the shore. Katniss was his now, and if he had to revert back to being a friend to her, it wouldn't be easy. He deliberated on if it was possible for him to go back to just seeing her as a friend. He couldn't imagine not being hers anymore. Everything that he wanted for his future was coming along grandly. "Gale." Two hands wrapped around his stomach and he smiled.

"Catnip, don't be so naughty." He scolded, turning around and kissing her cheek. Katniss recoiled.

"Okay." She obliged, recovering. She took her hands out from his middle and stalked off to the cabinets. She grabbed two blankets, one of brown wool and the other of olive green linen.

Gale snuck up behind her and bopped her on the head. "No, no, no." She told him, extracting herself from his proximity.

Prim and Ms. Everdeen walked together into the kitchen, Prim was rubbing her eyes. "Where are we going Katniss?"

"To Gale's house, so we don't have to travel back and forth too much." Katniss explained. Ms. Everdeen shot her a questioning look. "Hazelle insisted." Katniss added.

"It's true." Gale backed her up. Was it just Katniss or was Gale acting normal and like nothing had happened too?

"Let me get something real quick." Ms. Everdeen said. Katniss looked at Gale.

"Okay so now you back me up? Where was supportive Gale at your mom's house?" Gale laughed in response.

"I guess he didn't feel like it then." Katniss scowled at him. He gave her a crooked smile.

Prim looked at Katniss. "Do I have to pack too?"

"I packed for you little duck." Katniss gave Prim a hug. "It's so cold in here Primmy." She noted.

"Mom thought we could save the coal and firewood for when we actually needed it, we were just sleeping so…"

"Good thinking." Katniss kissed Prim's forehead. Gale watched the interaction. Katniss didn't know how motherly she actually was.

She thought she was hostile, sullen, mean. Yes, she was, but she was also a pure heart. She had an aura of complete determination and nothing could mess with her and her beliefs.

She even protected Prim at school with her behavior. Gale noticed that no boy Prim's age approached Prim because of it. As much as Gale wanted Prim to have a guy, he wasn't going to let Rory be it.

That would be strange.

What was it about the Everdeen girls that had all the Hawthorne boys wrapped around their fingers? Poor Vick had no one though.

When Ms. Everdeen came back, she had a small basket full of different muted but colorful balls of yarn, and four pairs of knitting needles.

"What are those for, mom?" Katniss asked, struggling on saying the word 'mom'.

"Just for us ladies to work on while we're trapped inside." Ms. Everdeen explained to Katniss. She didn't think anything was going on with Gale and Katniss, but he was an eighteen year old boy, the needles she were going to give Katniss were the loudest pair and she was sure she would be able to keep an eye or ear on Katniss because of it.

Katniss rolled her eyes and gave a look of pure disgust. "I hate knitting."

"I know." Her mom said. Gale and Prim stifled their smiles. "But what else are you going to be doing?" Katniss hmphed indifferently.

They headed out. The snow was beating against their faces like knives and Katniss tried shielding it with her hand. Her blood temperature was dropping. Just a few more minutes, though.

In the blurry haze of the blizzard Gale took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She couldn't see his face but she got the hint. She grabbed Prim's and Prim grabbed Ms. Everdeen's. They trudged forward slowly but steadily.

By the time they reached the warm house, Katniss had icicles hanging from her eyebrows. Prim's lips were blue.

Their only thoughts were about purple skies and unattainable orange light. Gale knocked on the door.

The wind zipped passed them with a terrible moaning sound. Katniss jumped up and down to keep her knees from collapsing. Hazelle gasped when she saw the lot of them. "Come in, come in." She ushered.

They shuffled into the house, grateful for relief from the harsh winds and sleet. Prim and Ms. Everdeen hurried to the fire and Gale and Katniss landed in a heap on the couch, Gale on top of Katniss. "Hawthorne, don't be so naughty." She whispered haughtily in his ear, shoving him off of her before someone noticed.

"Prim?" Rory asked from the doorway. He was staring at the blonde girl in front of the fire, orange flames licking around her hands, lighting her eyes warmly. Gale and Katniss straightened.

Gale grinned. "Hey Rory." Prim straightened and turned to look at Rory. Rory blushed and sat next to her.

"Wanna play outside?"

"Are you joking?" Katniss, Gale, Prim and Hazelle exclaimed. Rory cowered.

"Let's play with Posy." He extended a hand to her and she took it.

"Be careful, Rory." Hazelle warned him.

He grumbled. "Sure thing, Ma." They giggled and they went to Rory's room dragging Posy's cradle with them.

'He learned that from you, you know, Katniss." Hazelle said turning to Katniss. Katniss shifted her weight.

"Sorry Hazelle." Why was she acting so shy all of a sudden?

Hazelle told her not to worry and then Ms. Everdeen took out the knitting needles. Hazelle jumped up and hugged Ms. Everdeen. "We'll have a party."

"Here Katniss." Katniss' mom handed her the loud needles. "Here Gale." She offered the pink pairs to him.

Gale's eyes widened. "I'm fine." She said backing away from the needles which at the moment scared him more than Katniss' arrows. Katniss stopped him from taking another step back. He looked into her eyes.

' _You're staying and suffering with me.'_ They said.

' _Hell no, I'm a guy.'_

' _For me?_ ' She pleaded. Gale sighed. Katniss grinned triumphantly. She took the needles from her mom and shoved them in Gale's hand. They sat down on the couch together, knees touching. Gale took one end of the maroon yarn and Katniss fished for the other end. They took up knitting, his fingers swiftly forming the beginning of a long thick scarf.

Katniss looked up. "When did you learn to knit?" Katniss still struggled with the task of starting the scarf and handed hers over to him to do it for her.

He flushed. "It came naturally to me."

"Huh." He handed it back to her and she 'click, clicked' her needles trying to catch up to a good place.

Click.

Click.

"Pearl one, knit two."

Click.

Click.

"Pearl one, knit-"

"Do you mind, Catnip?" Gale had ceased knitting and he was glaring murderously at Katniss. Hazelle and Ms. Everdeen stared at them, up over their pieces.

"Why did you bring your old pair, Feren?" Hazelle whispered.

"So that we could hear them and because I know that Katniss loves to put Gale on edge. Life is more entertaining that way." Ms. Everdeen whispered back.

"Gale likes to put Katniss on edge too. Earlier today when I was about to send Katniss out, she asked Gale for his help to convince me not to let you guys stay. Gale infuriated her. It was quite adorable."

"I wonder when they're going to… you know." Ms. Everdeen said.

"Soon, is my guess. I feel like the more time they spend together the more chances they have of slipping up and doing something that forces one of them to spill."

"But we don't even know if they like each other. I can't tell with Katniss, she's never open with me. She doesn't trust me anymore."

Hazelle patted Ms. Everdeen's hand. They looked into each other's eyes. "She still needs you there though. I think that Gale likes her, or is beginning too." They observed Gale for a moment.

His gleaming eyes and his smile at Katniss. And his body language suggested that he was comfortable with her as well. "And Katniss too. She's been telling Prim about the boys around school, and how they all are terrible. When Prim asked about Gale, Katniss paused and told her that Gale was different."

Hazelle oohed. "Evidence, hmm. We can investigate now." The conversation died out and they listened in on Gale and Katniss' quarrel.

"Do I mind what, Gale?"

"Do you mind making all that noise?"

"I can't help it." She said, knitting faster. Click, click. Click. Click, click, click.

"Two can play at that game." He huffed and sped up his knitting as well. Click, click, click, click. Click. Click. Clink. "Dammit. Katniss you messed me up." He accused pointing two needles at her. He had missed a loop and now the scarf was uneven. He mumbled something about redoing it, but Katniss could barely hear him.

She was laughing in delight. "I messed you up?" She asked incredulously. "You messed yourself up." She shook her head and started knitting again. She looked up at Gale through her lashes and saw him fixing his mistake but not calling her out on it.

She looked down again. They made pretty good progress. Gale still hadn't realized she was knitting from the other end of his yarn but he would in two hours. While she was looking down, Gale looked up at her with smile that one could only classify as a smile that meant someone loved someone.

Katniss tried to keep the annoying sound to a minimum. Every time she accidently forgot and the clicking commenced, she would cringe and look up at Gale. Gale didn't mind anymore.

Hazelle smiled at Ms. Everdeen. "We're going to start dinner." Hazelle announced to Gale and Katniss. "Gale if you could add some firewood to the stove and the fireplace, that would be much appreciated."

"Yes Ma." Gale set his project down and put three logs in the fireplace. Hazelle and Ms. Everdeen were already in the kitchen and Katniss watched Gale bend over to put the wood in. She realized that he was being just as suggestive as she was in the woods.

But that was normal. Most guy-girl relationships were like that. Katniss had observed the baker's son, Peeta doing things like that with his friend, Delly. Or maybe that was his girlfriend. It didn't matter, Delly was in four of Katniss' classes. She was an overly happy, smiling and beaming at everyone type. She never had anything bad to say, about anything, about anyone… even Katniss. Katniss then realized with horror that she had been keeping tabs on Peeta.

The boy with the bread. The one who had saved her. She had been paying attention to him and his life. How humiliating. He probably had forgotten all about the bread by now, probably only remembered her because she and Gale traded squirrels and bread with his dad.

Gale got up and placed a few in the stove. When he came back, Katniss was blushing furiously and her needles were flying. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down Katniss. What's wrong?" He sat down on the couch next to her and placed his hands on top of hers.

"Nothing." She looked up at him. He gave eye contact and accidentally glanced down at her mouth. She smiled. "Absolutely nothing."

"M'kay Catnip." He leaned closer, hoping for a quick peck, but she put her needles in her lip's place. He opened his eyes when his warm mouth hit the cold metal.

He leaned back, picked up his work and he tried to brush off the reject. "Gale," Katniss spoke up softly.

"Yeah,"

"I'm sorry, I'm just playing hard to get."

"No, I understand." _No he doesn't._ Katniss thought. Katniss crossed her arms across her chest.

"Gale." He looked up. "I'm trying to say sorry."

"Oh I know." Gale was trying his hardest not to sound upset. He still didn't know if Katniss liked him back.

"If you're not going to hear me out, I'm going to have to make it up to you somehow." This got Gale's attention.

"You're not giving me your dinner, Catnip."

"That wasn't what I was thinking." Gale raised his eyebrows curiously. He wanted to see what she was going to do.

"Hold up, do I get to tell you if it makes up for it?" He asked. Katniss nodded thoughtfully.

"Let's try and finish this." She said about the scarf. He was going to find out that they had been working on it together in just a few minutes. She was filled with anticipation to see his face.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow." Gale began, softly at first as if he wasn't sure he could sing. Katniss joined in. "I love you tomorrow; you're always a day away."

They smiled ruefully at each other, her biting her lip, him looking under his eyelashes uncertainly. Katniss hummed along while Gale whispered the rest of the sad verses in his thick voice. "You're always a day away."

Katniss learned that song from her father, and one day Gale had heard her in the forest. It was the second anniversary of her father's death and she needed a place to clear her head. It was a song only few people new, she cherished that song more than her own life, and having Gale know about it made it more precious to her. She thought it would have had the opposite effect.

Gale still hadn't realized why he had to pull so hard for more yarn yet. Katniss knew that any second… any second…

Gale laughed. "Catnip, looks like you took the wrong color."

Katniss chuckled. "I did that on purpose, Gale. Now, we'll knit it into a big circle and it will be us."

"What does that mean Katniss? We can't wear it as a scarf then."

Katniss took the scarf out of his hands and climbed up halfway onto his lap. "Infinity. It is forever, no end to it, and no way of breaking it. You and I, we both made it, so it's both ours."

Gale stared at Katniss in earnest. His eyes burned with happiness and he felt Katniss' honest words sink in. Mostly one word though.

Forever.

His heart thumped with delight and he willed his breathing to slow. "Thanks Catnip." He said slowly. "But the color maroon looks terrible on me. You keep it."

Katniss giggled. "It does look terrible on you." She lifted it to his face and made a gagging noise. "I'll wear it then."

 _And tell everyone I made it for you._ He thought to himself. If people see that, then they know to leave her alone. That Katniss is his. Did Katniss want everyone to know that she was his? Was she okay with being together in public?

"Gale, people will make fun of you if I do that."

"Wait hold on? Why will they make fun of me? And who?"

Katniss was chuckling. "You said: 'Tell everyone _I_ made it for you.' And I said that people would laugh at you if I told them that. See? I'm laughing."

Gale buried his face in his hands. "God no, don't tell a soul."

Katniss starting rocking back forth. Her laughter had turned into silent shakes. She was turning red and then she coughed. "You got it Hawthorne." She reassured him, wiping tears from the rim of her eyes.

"Dinner! Call the kids would ya." Hazelle said over what Gale was going to say to Katniss. Katniss scrambled off of the couch and dashed into Rory's room. She called the kids to the dinner table and carried Posy to Hazelle.

"I didn't know if she had eaten or not." Katniss explained.

"Thank you Katniss." Hazelle said back to her. She propped Posy up on her hip and went to take her place at the table. Gale sat across from Katniss at the table, Prim and Vick flanking her sides, and Rory and Ms. Everdeen at his. Hazelle sat at the head of the table and made sure everyone got their servings before she took any.

Hazelle was more a mom than Ms. Everdeen would ever be. "Katniss would you like to say our prayer?" Hazelle asked.

Katniss quirked her mouth and then grabbed Prim and Vick's hands. Everyone followed suit and bowed their heads. Gale kept his eyes open and stared at Katniss.

She stared back at him, conjuring up an idea. Her eyes twinkled when she did and Gale listened eagerly. "Live in the moment because you never know what will happen if you don't. Take chances because there will always be tomorrow, so that when you make a mistake you can start fresh."

"Amen."

Gale never broke eye contact with Katniss as he bit into his bread. She gave him a remorseful smile and Gale could only wonder if the starting fresh had to do with him. Did he make a mistake?

But Katniss was happy. Right?

Neither Gale or Katniss spoke during dinner. The children filled up the silences with stories about school, friends, and what they did with Posy.

After dinner they set up for bed and all the candles went on. There was an eerie feeling to the house but it felt comfortable to everyone.

Except for Gale and Katniss. This was a romantic type setting, Katniss thought, and being in the living room with Gale for the night didn't exactly make anything easier or less stressing for her.

Ms. Everdeen and Prim were getting Hazelle's room. Hazelle, Rory and Vick were sleeping in the boy's room. Hazelle in Gale's bed and Rory and Vick in their regular beds.

Katniss took out her woolen blanket and stuffed her jacket up as a pillow and lay down on the floor. "Katniss, come take the couch." Gale said, lounging across it.

"You've made yourself homey there; I'll be fine down here. Your rug is warm." She was over by the fire and Gale was leaning over her face on the edge of the couch closet to her.

"I don't want you to catch of fire." She already was his girl on fire though. Every time he thought about their kiss he had to think about sad thoughts like Hazelle's second miscarriage before Rory, or his father's death to calm his body down.

But not right now. "I won't Gale." She assured him.

"I'll take the floor. You're the guest, so you take the couch."

"I'm hardly a guest, I'm here every day." She objected. Gale got up and sat down beside her.

"Oh my. It is much warmer over here. Why don't I just crash right here?" He smirked at her. He pulled the blanket over himself and lied down on his stomach resting his head on his folded arms.

Katniss was too tired to move herself. She said something unintelligible and then relaxed into the blanket, letting the fire's flames and light warm her to the bone.

"Katniss?" Gale began. "What did you mean at dinner, starting fresh?"

"It didn't mean anything. I just heard it somewhere, a long time ago. And it was kind of for you. The tomorrow thing."

"Oh." Gale had overreacted.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya there, buddy." She nudged him with her elbow.

He chuckled nervously. "I wasn't scared. Just unsure."

"I've noticed Gale. You've seemed unsure since we," Her voice died down. She was too embarrassed to say the word 'kiss' out loud. "We can take this slow, you know. I'd prefer it if we did."

"M'kay Catnip. As long as you're mine." He threw his closest arm over her and they feel asleep listening to the sounds of crackling firewood.

"They what!?" Peeta yelled in surprise.

"They're a thing now. It's official." She told him. Peeta broke down in tears. "What's wrong Peeta?"

"I'm in love with her." He spat out. "And she doesn't even know what Gale's done."


	5. Serious Competition

Katniss opened her eyes. A blue haze filled the room through her semi-opaque linen curtains. She slowly turned over onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

When she had woken up that first night at Gale's house, she had done the exact same thing. She didn't recognize where she was at first and then looked around and realized she was at Gale's house, under his arm.

She remembered how his skin felt, brushing up against hers, the small, fair hairs on his arm causing tingles to form underneath his touch. How he had fallen asleep so easily, and she hadn't. She remembered how tight she felt at first when his hand wrapped around her waist. The warmth she had felt from her kiss with him had awoken again and she had to force herself to breathe to think straight again.

Gale had never held her like this before.

It was always a reassuring pat on the shoulder, ruffling of her hair. Never this intimate embrace that sent tickling, sensational feelings to her stomach. During the night he had shifted, tangled his hand in her loose hair, whispered unintelligible lullabies in her ear, rubbed his foot against hers.

She got up then, to get a drink of water.

She briefly considered if he always slept like this. She pictured Gale in bed, blushing profusely then, and dropping the image from her mind. She reluctantly climbed back under his extended arm, more or less liking the feel of belonging and security he gave her as she slept. She turned towards him at some point and that's when he woke up.

He had felt a small disturbance beside him and so he cracked open one eye. Fatigue threatened to pull him back under, but he couldn't shut his image of the girl so pretty with her long dark hair spilling out like seaweed around her. He couldn't stop ogling over the girl whose face looked so much more peaceful when she rested. _I like watching her sleep._ He idled. _She doesn't scowl. Improves her look a lot._

He loved how she had her distance between them but how she was curled towards him, like a mortal to a god. A god. He liked the sound of that. Of course now, wasn't the time to get cocky. He'd only begun to get her to open up. He'd expected a completely different reaction.

Something like: ' _Get off me you big lug, what the actual fuck?!'_

He was glad that she was willing to test out this new thing that neither Gale nor Katniss had ever tried.

Katniss sat up in bed and groaned. Today was the first day back to school. The cold weather had passed just as ungracefully as it had come over the district, and now the snow was light enough for the school to declare starting up classes again. She reluctantly escaped the warm bed and jumped off of it, heading towards the chest of drawers. She pulled open the bottom drawer and hastily snatched a thick, maroon sweater and light grey leggings. She changed quickly watching puffs of white air leave her lips gracefully and vanishing like a cycle.

She let her eyes wander over to the full length mirror, the one she tended to avoid unless absolutely necessary, and stared down at herself.

She's been feeling so different lately, and Katniss wondered if that was just because she was a girl and things happened, or if it was because she was now something more with Gale, and he had touched her where no man had ever touched her before. She couldn't tell.

Her eyes were the same colorless grey as yesterday, her frame was still the small masculine shape that it had been, and her hair was still knotted like it hadn't been brushed in weeks. Katniss was horrified and scooped up her comb and fiercely yanked it through her mahogany curls.

In ten minutes she was satisfied with her hair. She would have to trim it soon, though. Her hair was becoming rough on the ends and it wasn't that pretty. Katniss put the comb back down on top of the dresser and focused on her face in the vanity mirror.

She had sharp features, a thin chin and wide almost hollow cheekbones, except on her it made her look mature. That was a good thing. Her lashes were incredibly long, she noted happily… That was until she remembered how annoying they could be during hunting.

Sometimes they would stick together and Katniss would fervently reach towards them to pull them apart or to rub her eyes. She always made noise if she did that. And that scared game away.

Katniss drew a finger down her nose. It was long, but proportional. She hated the way her skin was so tan, she was the only girl at school, with the color of sand for skin and it gave her unrequired stares that made her feel like there was something wrong with her. Gale had once told her in the woods, two years after they met that he thought she would look terrible with pale skin.

That had to count for something, right?

"Can I do your hair Katniss?" Prim asked sweetly, curled up against the headboard, tangled underneath the quilt.

"Of course little duck." Katniss headed over to Prim and kissed her on the forehead. "Good morning."

Prim scurried over to Katniss pulling the blanket with her and plopped down behind Katniss who was sitting on the bed facing the far door in the other side of the room. Prim smiled and took up three pieces of hair from the crown of Katniss' head. "I had a really funny dream last night. Apparently Rory liked me so one day at school he came and sat next to me at lunch. He told me then, and when I told him that he was joking, he said that he had liked me for a long time and then he took my cookie and ate it."

"That's _really_ funny Primmy." Katniss told her after she finished her story. Katniss made sure not to move her head. She didn't think that it was that funny, though. She knew that Rory liked Prim, everyone did.

Would it be weird if the Hawthorne's and the Everdeen's became _one_ big family, literally?

"That's not the funny part Katniss."

"Oh. Do tell then." The corners of Katniss' mouth twitched and Prim could tell, even from behind her.

Prim smiled grandly and continued. "Then I punched Rory in the face and kicked him… there." She shifted uncomfortably, alternating strands of Katniss' hair and braiding them intricately. Katniss was bound to interrupt, and Prim shushed her. "Hold on," She said. "I'm not done with the dream. Then he told me that Gale told him that if he ever told you that, you would do that to him, even if he didn't eat your cookies."

Katniss choked. "What do you mean by that Prim?" She said hoarsely. She swore that she and Gale had done a thorough job of hiding their new status in front of their family.

"I mean that in my dream Gale told Rory that Gale always thought you would kick him… there, if you ever found out he liked you." She paused and gauged Katniss' face by leaning over her shoulder.

"Oh."

"It was just a dream, Katniss." She said with finality. Katniss exhaled. "Done." She admired her handiwork and patted Katniss' back. "It's gorgeous."

"Thanks Prim." Katniss said, observing her braid in the mirror. "Now I look like a princess."

"You've always been a princess." Prim pouted, grabbing tan corduroys and a grey blouse. "I wish I looked like you."

"Aw Prim, you're beautiful too. You have long golden hair, sparkling blue eyes," Katniss comforted Prim, trying to make her see reason. Prim was prettier than Katniss. Everybody knew that. "You've got dimples." Katniss smirked and poked Prim's nose.

"We're both princesses. Now let me get dressed." Prim shoved Katniss out of their bedroom and shut the door. "It's freezing in here." Katniss heard Prim exclaim from the other side of the door.

Katniss walked down the stairs and donned her leather jacket. She took her time lacing up her boots and by the time Prim bounded down the stairs, they were both ready for school.

The fence was on that morning, Katniss had gone to go check earlier. Their feet crunched against the grovel road. "Katniss do you think Rory actually likes me?" Prim asked, still facing straight ahead, though her cheeks were pink with embarrassment.

"Do you want the truth little duck?" That was a safe answer, right? Katniss saw the school in the distance. The cold nipped her face and she wished she had grabbed her infinity scarf. Her heart warmed when she thought about how she acquired the scarf.

She and Gale had made it together.

And his face was priceless when he realized she had been knitting from the other end of the ball of yarn.

"Yes." Prim squeaked. "I want the truth, and tell me quickly." She demanded. She glared at Katniss and Katniss chuckled airily. Prim could never keep a straight for long. Prim lost her ordering face and cocked her head. "What? Does he not like me?"

Prim looked sad. _Does she like Rory?_ Katniss wondered. "Prim. Rory does like you. Your dream was scarily accurate." She admitted.

Prim stared at her in wonder. She was silent and her eyes were wide. "Really?" Her voice was barely over a whisper. "Does he really?"

"Yes. But you didn't hear it from me."

"I love you Katniss." Prim ran off, braids flying out behind her and sought out her friends who were by the swings waiting for the first bell to ring.

"Love you too." Katniss said, though Prim was too far away to hear.

Katniss slowly walked up to the school and entered the large hall. Many of the older students were indoors… the cold was too harsh for their liking. "Is it true?" Someone said from behind her.

She whirled around coming face to face with a tall girl with striking green eyes and platinum hair. "Is what true?" Katniss had no idea what the girl was talking about.

"You and Gale."

"Gale and I, what?" Katniss feared what the girl was asking about.

"My god, you're a slow one." The girl muttered and Katniss idled what she meant. Was she proving her intelligence to Katniss? Did she think she was better? Well Katniss hunted, so she didn't let that bother her. "Are you and Gale seeing each other?"

"We see each other every day." Katniss responded, hoping that this would be enough to get the girl to back off her inquiry.

"My goodness Katniss." The girl huffed, her face turning pink. "I just want to know if you and Gale are going steady. Somebody said that you two were, at a party, and I wanted to know from a primary source." _People depend on you for accurate rumors, don't they?_ Katniss thought.

"Well," Katniss started, jutting her lower lip out to the side. She dropped the word hoping someone would come and save her from answering. She didn't know if she and Gale should announce to school that they were together… actually, it was all Katniss' doing. She didn't want anyone to know.

She didn't really understand why it was such a big problem for them to go public, but she felt strange even having Gale as her beau. She didn't feel comfortable telling anyone because Gale was popular, to a certain extent of course… but people know Gale, and many girls like him too.

Katniss didn't want any of that attention or competition.

"Excuse me." Another voice said. Katniss let out a breath. _Thank god._ Katniss thought. She planned to sneak out the conversation as soon as possible. "I also would like to know." The voice said. She looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see Thom, Gale's friend. Thom had shaggy dark hair and unusual blue eyes. That stuck out most to Katniss as she looked up at him with an annoyed expression. She thought he was going to be her savior.

 _Was everybody taller than her?_ She wondered briefly. "Er," Katniss mumbled. "I can't really-"

"Oh excellent, he's still available then?" The girl mused, pushing her hair back from her face, even though she knew it was only going to go back into its original position.

"Gale didn't say that he was available though. I'm confused Katniss." Thom said before the girl could get her hopes up. "And Jessie, honestly, do you have to keep trying to get Gale to notice you? It's not going to work." Thom scolded. Though he didn't look anywhere close to done reprimanding Jessie, Katniss interrupted him.

"Stop." She said flatly. "I don't want to be a part of," She waved her hand up and down, gesturing to them. "…whatever this is. I hate being a part of anything like this, but I guess it's inevitable." She looked down at her hand and picked off a piece of dirt from her ring finger with her long thumb nails. "So go and tell your lies but just know that I'm going to deny everything you say and or pin on me." She took a deep breath and stalked off hoping that Jessie wouldn't try and follow her.

She didn't. And Katniss sort of wished that she did. But that wasn't like Katniss, so Katniss brushed that off and went to go take a seat in the back of her first class. "I need to speak with you Katniss." A male voice announced from beside her.

She snapped out of her reverie and faced him. "What do you want Peeta? I thought I told you to stay away from me since I caught you spying on me." She huffed exasperatedly. "Ya little creep." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head and turning back to the front of the class.

"After lunch. It's urgent." He said leaning in coyly. She responded by leaning back the equivalent amount. "And it's for your benefit." He added, hoping that would sway her.

"How is it benefiting me?" She asked, as Peeta took this as a good sign and continued.

"It's so you won't ever have to feel embarrassed." He had always been good with words. His father told him so every day.

"I don't care if I'm supposed to be embarrassed." Katniss retorted.

Peeta sighed and sat back in his seat, grateful for the start of the morning lecture.

After that class, Katniss hurried to the upper levels of the school house. She stood in the far side, looking for Gale's tall head as he headed towards his next class which was mathematics. Don't ask Katniss how she knew.

"Gale." She approached him, glaring daggers. "Did you tell people?"

"Maybe one or two." He responds, acting aloof.

This gets Katniss off her rocker. "One or two?!" She exclaimed. "I've had _three_ people talk to me about it today." She pinched her nose in between her thumb and fore-finger.

Gale wondered why she was so stressed about this. It wasn't like it was going to remain a secret forever. "Do you not want people to know?" He asked incredulously. She nodded vigorously.

"Gale, your people spread rumors." She started. "I don't want that attention." He looked hurt, but his eyes blazed with fury. "It's too much competition."

"Competition? What are you talking about?" His brows furrowed.

"Gale," She didn't want to say it… "People won't treat me nicely because we're" She hesitated. "…together."

"Of course they will." He rebuffed. "At school, I have power. Don't worry."

"That's the thing Gale." Katniss spat. How come he couldn't see it? "Worry I will because every girl has it out for me."

"Excuse me?" He inquired, completely curious. He didn't understand what she was getting at. "Which girls? Katniss I'm not going to let inferior peers at school get in between us. You don't have to put up with their shit. You're strong. I don't see why you're so upset." Did he guess correctly?

Katniss was glad he wasn't going to be upset with her over this. But he still didn't understand. She knew she wasn't the best at explaining things, but really? Couldn't he see that she didn't want him flaunting their relationship? "I won't put up with their shit." She quoted. "I already have handled their shit today. I just don't want you to tell anybody that we're together."

She didn't hesitate this time.

"Katniss." Gale reached for her face. "Why do you want to hide? Are you ashamed of me?" He asked her, stepping closer to her, cupping her face. She was a little lost in his eyes so she just shook her head. "I don't want you to feel embarrassed or regret anything. I already told you that I was going to let you go your own pace."

Katniss couldn't believe she had landed such a selfless man. She had always believed herself to end up being the old maid out of her age group. She never imagined having a boyfriend. And the thing was that Gale was going to stay with Katniss until she pushed him away. He wasn't going to let go of her.

He was loyal and caring. He was completely in love with her. He had told her as much a few days after their first kiss.

"So, when did you first realize you liked me?" She had asked shyly.

He had sat back in his chair stared at her with pondering eyes. "I don't even really know. I feel like I had from the moment you smiled back and then gradually it got so strong that it just hit me. I'm still a hormonal teenager and all, you know."

"Oh, gross Gale." Katniss smiled. Gale leaned forward and studied her expression as he asked:

"When did you realize you liked me?"

The question was heavy, and she knew that she couldn't say anything wrong because then, there would be total chaos. "When you started looking like that." She was referring to his new manly chest, chiseled chin and proud biceps. He'd always had them, but they hadn't gotten significantly more prominent in the past few months.

"I knew it was looks." He joked, feigning narrowed and angry eyes. She shook her head in denial.

"Gale, its personality. I love your spirit and your determination. It's strong."

"I'm strong." He corrected her getting up and sitting closer to her. "I love yours too." He informed her.

"Why thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. I'm glad you overlook my manners and choose to see the deeper qualities." She smiled hugely at him.

"You're very welcome, Miss Everdeen. I've been told that a man with few manners gets along nicely with a woman who doesn't have any as well. It makes for… interesting intercourse."

"Gale!" She flushed noticeably and Gale smirked at her.

"I was kidding."

"That wasn't funny." She said with a deadly look in her eyes. "What if our siblings heard that?" She demeaningly. She made a point. They were in Gale's house and they were in the vast but proportional living room.

"They wouldn't know half of what I was saying." He argued.

"I'm in your English class Gale. They would know."

"Don't say that out loud." Gale hushed her, putting a finger to her lips. If Hazelle found out that he failed English in his year had to retake it in a lower year, she would flip.

Katniss didn't speak. She cherished the touch that Gale gave her, shivers making every nerve around her mouth become a live wire, sending zings to her brain and heart. She didn't dare breathe.

He took his finger off and grinned gratefully. "You're the best Catnip." He whispered. "I'm going to keep falling in love with you over again every single day."

Katniss quirked her lips and stared around at her peers. Thankfully none had noticed Gale's affectionate embrace yet and they were still safe. So in that moment Katniss blurted out: "Let's not tell anybody, okay?"

Instead of going against Katniss he simply dropped his hand. Straightened and said: "When you're ready Catnip, you'll be ready."

The second period bell rang and Katniss had to dash to next class. She was late and all eyes were on her as she made her way to the last available desk in the corner of the room. She cowered and lowered herself deep into her desk and tried to get lost in the history of the Dark Days.

Like being what she wanted to be and living how she wanted to live; engrossing herself in it was impossible.


	6. Poems, Pastries and Presents

The rest of that day was uneventful. Partly because Katniss made it that way, but also because school is always a boring place. Katniss picked Prim up from the lower school and waited outside to walk home with Gale.

It was something sweet that they did. Had done since they became friends. Katniss had to admit that she did enjoy having Gale as more than just her friend.

Before, it was hard describing what Gale was to Katniss. Now, she knew. He wasn't a friend. He was a lover, a confidant, a trusted colleague. He meant the world to Katniss, and she was scared because of that.

How was she supposed to not be?

What happened if she got reaped? What happened then, if he found someone else while she was in the Games? What happened if he died in the mines? What if they got in a fight? What if?

"Hey Prim. How was school?"

"Katniss!" Prim gave her a hug. "That girl over there," She pointed towards a ginger hair colored girl. "… she pulled my hair."

"That's terrible. Are you okay?" Katniss smiled internally. Prim was so cute. "She's probably just jealous because you have prettier hair." Katniss leaned down to whisper in Prim's ear. Prim giggled and nodded.

"Katniss." Katniss scanned for Gale.

"Gale?"

"Hi." Gale said, popping out from behind her. "I just had a terrible lecture about writing during class."

"Oh." Katniss said, raising her eyebrows. "And what were you writing?"

"A poem." Gale told her simply. Katniss spun around checking to see where Prim was. She was already walking with Rory and Vick towards the Seam.

"About who?" Katniss had an idea. "Lillian?" Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

Gale's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding?" His eyes were wide, and Katniss smiled. Gale's features arranged into understanding. "You were playing me, eh?" Katniss laughed. "That wasn't wise Catnip. I'm gonna get you. Just you wait."

"No." She said in mock denial. "Did you write the poem for Oscar?" Oscar was a random guy in Gale's year. He and Oscar had this weird relationship that had caused a bump in Katniss and Gale's relationship. This was three years ago. When Katniss had told Gale about the difficulties he was bringing her by spending time with him, he stopped.

He must've loved her.

Gale's eyes were priceless. His pupils turned really tiny and his mouth puckered like he ate something sour. "Oh damn. Katniss that's not very nice." He clutched his stomach. "Are you kidding?"

"I was kidding." She said innocently.

He looked at her disapprovingly. She bit her lip and started after Posy. He caught up with her, hoisting his bag up onto his shoulder. "So…" He started, prompting her to begin conversation even though they weren't awkward in silence.

"So who did you write the poem for?" She complied, sneaking a glance towards him. He was already staring at her so when their eyes met she looked away quickly and blushed.

Gale grinned. Now was his time to woo Katniss. He already had. He just wanted to have Katniss be more comfortable with the idea of having a boyfriend. The word seemed so casual when he said it like that.

They were more than that.

They were soul mates.

"You." He whispered kind of shyly. He didn't know how she was going to react. Actually he did. She was going to stay silent.

She surprised him. "Thought so." She smirked, looking straight ahead at the distant kids.

"What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"I knew it was about me." She said. "I'm irresistible." She bragged. Gale's heart warmed and he continued.

"You are, and anyways," He started. "I was wondering if you wanted me to read it to you. You know, since I got in trouble for it, it's only worth it if you let me read it to you."

Katniss looked at him, and nodded her head gratefully. Gale smiled hugely. "Just do it somewhere where we're alone." Gale accepted.

They dropped Prim off first. "I'll be back soon, Prim."

They dropped Rory and Vick off next. "Where do you think you two are going?" Hazelle asked from the kitchen with a restless Posy on her hip.

"Outside Ma."

"Woods?"

"Backyard." Gale corrected her.

"Ah." Hazelle smiled motherly. "I'll be checking on you two." They quickly shuffled out of the kitchen when Vick and Rory started snickering.

"They're getting suspicious of us, Catnip." He whispered, partially joking.

"Guess we have to call it quits." She threw her arms up for emphasis. "We're up shit creek without a paddle, my friend." Katniss told him with a straight face.

Gale didn't know she was being sarcastic. "I was thinking more along the lines of being conspicuous."

"Oh. Right." Katniss pretended that this was a better idea that she hadn't thought of.

Gale took her hand, gauging her reaction and then checking the window that Hazelle was undoubtedly looking through. He took her to the tall tree in the back of their yard and began to climb. She stayed on the ground staring up at him. She could see his muscles straining through his shirt. "Are you coming up, Catnip?"

"Yeah." She climbed up to where he was and took a seat on the outer edge of the same branch facing him. "Impress me."

"I plan to." Gale said and he took out the folded sheet of paper.

Katniss waited eagerly, leaning forward towards him subconsciously.

"The sun shines through the trees onto your face. You're an angel of sorts, and I'm lucky to be the man beside your place."

He looked up shyly, eyelashes fluttering. His heart beat fast.

"You're an angel of sorts in this grey. You bring hope and light and happiness to me. You remind me of freedom and the dream where I have a say that people are treated equally.

Of what I am destined to do later in life, you will be there no doubt. You will guide me through the fog and lead me from demise. For you are an angel of sorts; and becoming yours in itself is a prize."

She reached for Gale's hand. And when he looked up at her face he brought a hand to her cheek. "It's beautiful." She whispered.

"I'm not even done." Gale replied, just as softly.

She didn't know Gale could influence her this much just with words. Both of them had never been that good at speaking or conveying people. They could hardly bargain with tough customers. This was a new side of Gale. But one that she could definitely get used to.

"With white wings and a golden halo; you stand as the bird who sings justice. Hum your message and I will receive and I will give. Now, we are two parts of the same lustful person. And god has blessed us."

He finished and looked at her earnestly. "Did you like it?" She stared at him for a while, trying to come up with a response. Gale had just poured his heart out to her.

"I'm glad you got in trouble." She whispered at last. "I'm really glad."

"But, did you like it?" He asked again. His hands twitched a little bit. Did she not like it? What did she mean by she was glad he got in trouble?

"I loved it." If he hadn't gotten in trouble then it wouldn't be as memorable. He totally invested his concentration into this and paid the price. He would do anything for Katniss. "I loved it."

"I love you Katniss." He concluded, folding the poem up to put it back in his pocket.

There was a moments' pause. Their eyes were locked. "Thank you so much Gale."

He nodded, happy but sad at the same time. She didn't say it back. "You're welcome. I just felt that I needed to say it. He went to put it in his pocket.

"Wait!" She said frantically. She leaned over him, pulling it out of his hands and clutching it to her chest. "Can I keep it?" She asked quietly, all hints of desperation of out her voice.

"Of course Katniss." Gale whispered back.

"Thank you." She scooted closer to Gale, knees touching, faces inches apart. "Thank you so much."

Gale mumbled something unintelligibly and leaned in. Katniss giggled. She put her hands on his shoulders and brought his lips to hers. He smiled against her mouth, so inevitably, she did the same. His fingers found their way to her face. He cupped her cheeks, and then moved his hands back, sweeping her braid behind her as well. His hands continued, stopping at the back of her neck. He pulled her closer. She let a gasp out into his breath.

"Whoa." She said, frazzled. Then she pulled back. She shivered. "Now that's what you call romance." She laughed and jumped down from the tree.

Gale watched after her.

He jumped down too, appreciating the cold, crisp, dry air. He noticed her flushed cheeks, pink nose and slight chatter of her teeth. He saw her take a deep breath.

She waved goodbye to him and then went out the gate towards her home. He went inside where Hazelle was waiting.

He cringed. "I knew it." She didn't look up from her sewing. "I knew it. I called it." She muttered, laughing.

"What?" Gale said shortly.

"I won the bet."

"Bet?" That didn't make it any clearer.

"You and Katniss? We all knew it was going to happen." Hazelle explained. Gale quirked his mouth. _Oh._ He thought. "So how'd you do it?"

"Do what?" He figured that as little detail would go a longer way with his mom. "Get her to kiss me? Easy, I forced her."

"You did what, Gale Hawthorne?!" That got Hazelle's attention. She stood up from her work and stared at her son.

"I read her a poem."

"Oh."

"Can I go now?" Gale shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Yes." He went to leave but Hazelle spoke. "But one thing Gale." She said. "Don't mess it up."

He wasn't going to try to.

The town square was getting ready for the holidays. Red banners and fake capitol wreaths hung from all the shops and homes. The muddy roads weren't even that bad. Peeta stood inside the bakery in front of the window looking out at the little children playing in the empty square with a ball. He loved children.

They were the best part of his day usually. They would press their noses up against the windows and ogle over Peeta's work. He never meant to brag, but he was really good at frosting cakes. The best ever.

At least that's what his dad had told him.

Peeta was counting up the money then, the shop was closing in an hour, but they didn't expect to have any more customers. _Seventy-two, seventy-three, seventy-four…_ He looked up at the window from a sudden shriek. A blonde haired girl had joined in on the fun out front. He took all the uncounted coins and went outside on the porch.

He wanted to watch the children play.

They seemed so carefree.

He couldn't help but think of Katniss. He remembered her standing up on the huge stage accepting her medal of honor for her father's death. He remembered making eye contact with her for a split second. He remembered so clearly the color of her eyes. But he also remembered Gale and Katniss making eye contact. He remembered their shoulders bumping as they traded places in the spotlight. They may not remember the exchange… but Peeta did.

He remembered how she was starving.

He remembered her being so happy the next day. And the day after that. And the one after that one too.

But she wasn't carefree. She cared so much it should hurt. She cared for others more than herself. She was selfless.

But Gale was selfish.

He had come to Peeta's brother one day during wrestling practice and asked for his advice on a poem. He never said who it was for, but Peeta inferred it to be for Katniss.

Later Rye, had given the task to Peeta. So when Rye gave it back to Gale a few days back, of course Gale had to modify it. Gale was so angry, he personally went up to Peeta and told him to stay away from Katniss.

But Peeta was going to do, whatever Peeta wanted to do.

Peeta continued counting and marking a few things down about certain customers purchases in a book. He rubbed his after a while. The dim light from the lamp outside the door wasn't enough to read.

The kids we're still playing so he decided to take a break and watch the game.

"Run! Run." Another girl yelled. Her team was winning from what Peeta could see. The young boy at base ran, he was fast. He got a home run.

Peeta laughed.

The next team was up.

The pitcher rolled the ball aggressively at the blonde girl at base. He didn't expect her to be able to reciprocate it. But she looked like she knew how to play this game. Her blonde braids bounced and next thing Peeta knew, the ball was in the air.

That was right. The kids who lived in the shops with their parents only invited sporty kids to play with them… being sporty also meant that they had to be Townie and had to be competitive. "Go Prim." A supporting shout came from across the playing field.

Peeta squinted his eyes. He saw two figures sitting on a bench almost on top of each other. "Yeah Prim!" A deeper voice whooped.

Peeta smiled and observed the happy couple. They looked to be his age, maybe older. They looked like they were enjoying the holidays. He saw them press their foreheads together. A tinkling laugh came from the female a few short seconds later. They turned to the game again, and Peeta could faintly make out their white teeth. The girl, Prim stopped on the third base and a dark haired boy stepped up to the plate. "You got this Roro!" The same guy encouraged.

The boy at base, who Peeta assumed was 'Roro' frowned at the man and gave him the finger. There was aloud guffaw from all the kids and the two on the bench. Peeta wanted to watch the game now.

He finished counting the money, put it inside and walked to the bench on the far end of the square. He was closer now and he could hear more conversation between the two on the bench.

"Roro, huh?" The girl inquired.

"Yeah, it's his new nickname. Posy and I came up with it."

"Oh, he just loves it. I can tell." Was the girl missing some vital piece in the game? 'Roro' gave his finger to the two of them. Maybe they were in close relation so it didn't matter.

It honestly surprised Peeta that a dark haired boy was here playing the game. Usually only town boys got to play.

Maybe it was one of the rare Town-Seam relationships that Peeta knew Rye had with Gale and what Peeta wanted with Katniss. "Hell yeah, he better love it." The male said. "Do you like yours, Catnip?" He said lustfully.

The girl laughed again and took his hand. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"It would."

"Then yes."

Peeta felt like he was intruding on a private moment but, he couldn't make himself turn away somehow. "I knew you loved it." He leaned in again and this time their lips touched.

A chorus of screams broke their embrace this time. "Katniss we won! We won." The blonde girl ran up to the lady on the bench.

That was Katniss? Catnip. Katniss. _Oh._ Peeta realized. Prim. Katniss' sister. _Who's Roro?_ Peeta wondered. If that was Katniss, then that must be…

Peeta stopped, deadpan. He rolled his tongue on his teeth and exhaled sadly.

Then that must be Gale Hawthorne.

"Did you see that Katniss?" Prim was overjoyed with her team's victory.

"Good job Prim." Katniss stood up and hugged Prim. Gale stood up behind her and held his hand out for the dark haired boy to high five. "Rory, your home run was out of this world." Katniss complimented.

"Thanks, Cantkiss."

All of their mouths dropped open. Including Peeta's.

"I can kiss." Katniss protested at the same time Gale said: "Rory, apologize."

Gale looked at Katniss with hooded eyes. "Katniss can kiss." He agreed, not looking at Rory.

"Prove it." The stubborn boy said, crossing his arms.

Katniss got ready and leaned down towards Rory. Gale put a hand on her shoulder cautiously. She waved him off. She and Rory got close to each other and Gale, Prim and Peeta couldn't watch.

Whack! Peeta looked again and saw Rory clutching his head. "Katniss." He wailed. "What was that for?" She had thumped his head.

Gale guffawed, giving Katniss a high five and then pulling her into a lip lock. She smiled and pushed him away. Rory and Prim's eyes grew in size. They both blushed and turned around to say goodbye to their friends. "That's my feisty Kat."

"I hate that nickname Gale." She told him. He grumbled something too quiet for Peeta to hear. Suddenly Katniss' smile grew. It was the widest Peeta had ever seen her smile.

Peeta felt so inferior that he couldn't breathe.

He wanted to be able to make Katniss have a reaction like that to something he whispered in her ear. But she looked so in love with Gale.

He couldn't wreck that.

He didn't even have a chance too.

He didn't even have the guts to talk to her like a real person.

"Prim, Rory, let's go get something to eat." Gale called the two siblings back.

"Can we get a cookie?" Prim asked with pleading eyes. "Please Katniss, please?" She looked so sweet. No wonder Katniss loved Prim out of everything in the world.

Katniss looked up at Gale, who had his arm around her waist. They were pressed up against each other and seemed so warm. "Gale?" She said.

"Can we get a cupcake or a muffin?" Rory asked with a sheepish grin.

"Rory." Gale was about to scold him.

"No, no… It's okay Gale, I have enough coins." They shared a glance and then told the two that they both could get a cupcake, as long as they didn't tell any of the other siblings about it.

All of them laughed and knew that they weren't going to _not_ share it. Peeta loved how they were all so selfless. Especially Gale and Katniss. Peeta could never compete with him.

Peeta saw them start walking. "Shit." He muttered and then he sprinted back to the bakery so that he didn't caught off duty from his mother and the four of them.

He was out of breath when he shut the door behind him from the back of the bakery. The warm air hit him fast and made him dizzy. He slowed his breathing and checked his face in the tiny mirror to make sure it looked like he was just aggravated at some failed batch of cookies or something.

Ding. He heard the front door open.

He put an apron on real quick and walked into the front room. "Hi, how may I help you?" He looked up from tying the strings. "Oh, hi Katniss! Gale." He said feigning surprise.

"Hi." Katniss said curtly, all traces of her smile gone from her face.

"Prim, how are you?" Peeta asked the little girl.

"I'm well."

"So what can I get you guys?" Peeta said, smiling after nodding at Prim's answer like it was the most interesting thing ever.

He just hoped he didn't look weird in front of Katniss and Gale.

Because he wasn't weird.

He was animated.

"Two cupcakes." Gale said.

"Which colors?" Peeta asked politely.

"Kids?" Gale looked to the two siblings.

"White." They said in unison.

Automatically, Peeta took three coins off of their total purchase. He was doing it for Katniss. Not Gale. But he happened to be there so, he was benefiting from it as well. "Four coins, I believe."

"Perfect." Gale flashed him a set off white teeth. _If only he knew._

 _If only he knew everything._

They were in the Hob that afternoon. Just the two of them. Katniss was wearing a dark green sheer tank and dark brown leggings. She was wearing her only other pair of shoes: maroon timberland boots.

Gale was sporting a grey flannel thermal shirt, and his usual tan cargo pants with hiking boots. He also unfortunately was carrying his and Katniss' jackets.

The Hob was so populated this time of year; it was almost sweltering in the building. Katniss was off somewhere at another booth looking for the perfect gift for Prim while Gale was finding something for his family.

"How much?" Katniss held up a book.

"What's the title there, girlie?" The old lady behind the counter said.

"Um," Katniss looked at the book. "Catching Fire, I think."

"That's my favorite book." The old lady told her. "It's positively brilliant. It's about a young girl who becomes a heroine. It's seven coins."

Katniss put the book under her arm and continued sifting through the stacks and boxes. She felt someone come up behind her. "Katniss." He spoke her name slowly.

"Darius."

"What are you doing on this fine evening?"

"Getting presents for Prim and Gale." Katniss answered grabbing the coins out of a pouch and placing it in the woman's hand. "Merry Christmas." She smiled.

"Can I help you find something for young Prim?" Katniss turned to look at Darius with wide eyes.

"Uh," Darius never acted like this before… This isn't Darius. "Sure. Thank you." Katniss said uneasily. Darius grinned at her and lead her to another stall. It was full of flower print dresses. "Darius, you don't have to do that." Katniss told him.

"I want to." Darius told her, looking through the different dresses. "Is this her size?" He questioned, after a minute. Katniss still wasn't done gaping at his generosity.

Part of her felt like stopping him. Telling him that she didn't need his charity case. But Prim wanted a dress to wear to the New Year's Party. And Katniss didn't want Prim to be disappointed or sad on Christmas. "Yeah."

"Great." He waggled his tongue at her and then went to look for the price. "And only fifteen coins? Excellent."

"Darius." Katniss warned. "That's too expensive. I'm not letting you pay for a dress for Prim without any complaint without you telling me the reason why." Darius sort of stared at Katniss. He did hear the rumors. He wasn't trying anything. He just wanted to show Katniss that he _did_ respect her and that her father would have been so proud of her.

He told her as much.

Needless to say, he bought it for her without her complaining.

She knew it was going to come back and bite her in the ass.

Gale looked at his skimpy list.

Posy~ Doll

Vick~ Dictionary

Rory~ Trousers & Pocket knife

Mom~ Mustard Yarn & pine-clove tea(Katniss will supply)

Katniss~

It was written in his sloppy scrawl and he couldn't fathom why he was so cursed. Why did _he_ lose his father? Why did _he_ live in the Seam? Why was _his_ family so large?

Don't worry! He loves them all so much. Just sometimes it's _so_ hard to care for all of them.

What was he supposed to give Katniss? He was giving her the infinity scarf, and his heart.

But what else?

Then it hit him. He dashed to the darkest corner of the Hob where the best jewelers hid. "Just a simple locket and chain." He said to the grungy old man who sat behind the sad excuse for a counter.

"Silver or brass?" The man's scratchy voice came out.

"Silver." Gale told him and then he grinned. _Like the stars._ _Like her eyes._


	7. Sharing Some Chocolate

"Merry Christmas Catnip." Gale told her sultrily. Over the past two and a half weeks Gale and Katniss had gotten more comfortable with the idea of being a couple.

They kissed in public.

They hugged at school.

They were inseparable.

"Merry Christmas Gale." She whispered back as she stepped through the open doors at Hazelle's home. Prim and her mom had already settled in the kitchen, making themselves busy with cooking. He pressed her up against the doorway and kisses down on her lips. She tilted her head back and took her hand from her side and put it on his chest.

They left each other's mouths breathing a little faster. Katniss no longer blushed when Gale stood up against her, but she did when they kissed. She blamed it on the cold.

He closed the door and took her other hand in his. "You wore your hair down today." Gale observed.

"Don't expect me to do it again. I broke my hair tie. I'm going to find a replacement." She bit her lip and smirked.

"You sure do keep me on my toes Catnip." Gale said laughing but thinking just the opposite. He almost fell on his knees every time Katniss raked her fingers up his arms. Katniss felt the same way, but she would never admit it.

She was still scared of being in love.

But that was natural, right? It was okay to be nervous in love?

"Ha." She replied. They took a seat on the couch in the living room. The Capitol television was showing a live band in the capitol playing every holiday song from before Panem. Later on in the evening, the program would play a movie.

Gale hummed along with the song mockingly. Katniss chuckled at Gale and she couldn't help the infectious mood that was seeping through her. "Gale, turn up the volume. I absolutely love this song." Rory yelled from his room.

"No." Gale shot back. Katniss snatched the remote from the other side of Gale and turned it up for Rory.

"No! I was joking. This song is terrible, turn it off." Rory decided from upstairs. When Katniss didn't comply, Rory barreled downstairs and turned the whole set off manually. "There." He wiped his hands, pleased with his work.

"Roro, you killed my Christmas spirit." Gale pouted.

"Well," Rory deliberated. "Get Katniss to bring it back up." He smirked and then galloped into the kitchen.

Sometimes it was hard to remember that Rory was a twelve year old snark. Gale turned to Katniss once Rory disappeared. "Will you?" He pleaded.

"If that's all you want for Christmas." Katniss whispered. Gale leaned into Katniss and felt her deepen the kiss equally. "Mmhh." She mumbled.

He smiled against her lips. They leaned back. "Thanks sweetheart."

Katniss immediately lost her smile. "Oh no. That's not going to work for me." She shook her finger at him. Before Gale could answer, Hazelle called them into the kitchen.

As they entered the kitchen they saw that all of the kids were singing and Hazelle had taken it as her job to do the finishing flourish on the tune.

"Beautiful Ma." Gale applauded, giving Hazelle a hug. "What did you need?"

"You two," she pointed at the couple. "Cleaning duty." Katniss and Gale opened their mouths to protest, but Ms. Everdeen gave Katniss a look that made Katniss willingly drag him to the sink.

They both had been on Katniss and Gale like hawks since the two had told them of their new relationship. The two barely had anytime alone since Ms. Everdeen was always making excuses for Katniss to stay and help at home. Hazelle found out before Ms. Everdeen, so when Katniss told her, she was furious.

She demanded an apology from Katniss. "The mother of the daughter should know first." She told Katniss. "Always."

They weren't on speaking terms this holiday.

Just like last year.

And the one before that.

Prim and Rory got to singing another carol and soon everyone joined in. Katniss and Gale hummed.

Gale just was terrible at singing, so he didn't sing for Katniss' sake.

But that was the opposite with Katniss. Prim didn't understand why Katniss didn't sing often, but everyone else did. And no one pressured her to either. "So Katniss," Gale started. "Are you going to the New Year's party?"

"I don't know if I want to." Katniss said, picking up a dirty dish and a rag. She had nothing to wear but her periwinkle blue reaping dress. She could wear her normal attire and be the bad ass, though she wasn't too sure Prim would want to be seen near Katniss if she did that.

"You're going Catnip." Gale argued. "I'm not being the drunk loner standing on the side this year."

"You get drunk?" Katniss was appalled. No one from the Seam wasted away their bodies and mind if they had more responsible things to do the next day. "Why do you do it?" Katniss didn't understand.

"It helps me relax and get my mind off things. Oh, I don't know. It's hard to describe why I like to drink. Maybe it's because it makes being alone on New Year's a bit more bearable."

"You go alone?"

"Well I'm never in a relationship when the New Year strolls around. Midnight is when the lovers kiss. I pretend that the bottle is my partner." Gale explained with a terribly fake upset expression.

"So if I do go?" She mused. "If I do end up going to the party, am I going with you?" she wondered sarcastically.

"Yes." He said honestly.

"Am I going to be getting intoxicated?" She still thought the idea was repulsive.

"Maybe." He answered casually.

"Are Prim and Rory going?"

"Yes." He told her. "Rory told me that Prim wants to go."

"Are _they_ getting intoxicated?" Her voice was getting higher and taking a patronizing edge to it.

"No." He said forcefully. He wondered why she would think that that would ever happen.

"Are you going to be a wallflower at the party? Or are you going to dance with me?" She stopped scrubbing and stared at him.

"Depends on your state of _intoxication._ " He teased.

"Okay," She concluded. "So if I am going, we both will be getting drunk," He nodded. "While our siblings are there unsupervised." He looked uncomfortable at the idea but motioned for her to continue. "And you may or may not dance with me… at the party… where you're supposed to dance?" He looked confused.

"Yeah, so?" He asked her.

She gave him a coy smile. "I just don't see myself gaining any benefit from going to this party."

The others around them had stopped singing and tuned in to their conversation.

"Oh you'll get what you deserve. You definitely will." He leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

She pulled her shoulder up to her ear to wipe away the tingles that were spreading throughout her body. "And what is it that I will be getting? Because if it doesn't suit me, or come early enough in the evening, I might just leave before the party ends." He starts to interrupt her but she holds up a finger. "Or worse," She continued. "I might not even show up." She whispered like it was the end of the world.

Gale quickly voiced his thoughts. "I'll kiss you at midnight if you stick around long enough." He heard a gasp.

They both turned around beet red. Hazelle had just splashed a bit of tomato sauce over herself and the counter, to stop the inevitable downward spiral of the conversation. The kids and Ms. Everdeen had the decency to look away from the two teens to make it seem like they weren't listening.

They all laughed at her and resumed working. When Katniss finally handed Gale the last washed dish he called out to Hazelle: "What next?"

"Go get some wood for the fireplace, and clean up your room." It seemed like this Christmas was going to be a tense one.

Gale scowled and took Katniss' wrist. They went outside to the back and each picked up three pieces of wood. But before they could walk back inside, Gale set down his stack, pressed Katniss up against the side of the house and kissed her hard. She dropped hers out of surprise and latched onto his chest to balance herself and the impact of the house rushed through her like fire.

He was getting worked up from standing near her too long without touching. The effect she had on him was something unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. Heat flooded through Katniss' legs and she forced herself upon Gale harder than ever before by clutching his shirt with her fists and going up on tiptoe. She shut her eyes tightly when fingers brushed her collarbone.

He reciprocated by growling and bringing her lower back closer to him. Katniss let a laugh escape her mouth. She let out a breath and sunk back onto her feet. "You only asked for one, if I recall correctly."

"Shut up." And then Katniss saw Gale blush for the second time. "You liked it, I know you did."

"Sure." She replied suavely. She picked up her fallen logs and walked inside the house.

Gale followed with his own and admired the view of Katniss putting them in the fireplace. "You're a pervert, you know." She informed him when she saw him still staring.

"I've been told that a few times." He agreed passively. "But I still never got an exact answer to the party thing." He said, changing the subject and walking past her to his room.

"I'm going if Prim's going." She flashed him a grin, though his back was turned to her.

"It just so happens that I'll be going if Rory is going." Gale shot back, not turning to look at her and waiting expectantly at one side of the larger bed. Katniss blushed, but the room was dim. She asked him what he wanted. "Help me make the bed, Lucifer."

"Har-har." She chuckled.

"I'm serious." He said with a set face.

"Alright, fine." They made the boys' bed and then headed back to the kitchen.

"No more cleaning duty." They said in unison when Hazelle raised a single eyebrow at them.

 _Damn._ Katniss thought enviously. She always wanted to be able to do that. But she could unfortunately only raise both her eyebrows and widen her eyes like she was a possum or raccoon or something.

"Alright. Give us two minutes and we'll open presents." Vick, Prim and Rory squealed. Posy looked especially happy in her high chair in the corner. She was clapping her chubby hands and letting her tongue hang out of her mouth like a cow.

"Wonderful." Gale said in a shrill Capitol accent. He picked ecstatic Posy up and carried her to the living room, Katniss, Vick, Prim and Rory trailing behind like little ducks.

"We look like baby ducklings, Little Duck." Katniss noted. Prim blushed and Rory looked at her questioningly.

Gale sat on the floor with legs outstretched and beckoned the rest to follow suit. "Merry Christmas baby Posy." He cooed.

Katniss sat on the couch but the rest of the kids sat with Gale on the ground. Gale pretended to be Posy's voice and talked and moved Posy's arms and legs for emphasis.

"I'm a princess… Rory is a frog. Ribbit, Ribbit." Katniss couldn't help but burst out laughing, efficiently interrupting Gale's speech. She wiped away tears from the brim of her eyes.

"Oh, that's amazing." She wheezed. "Oh damn, it hurts."

"What?!" Gale asked incredulously. "What was funny about that?"

"If Posy is the princess and Rory is the toad-"

"Frog." Gale corrected her.

"Whatever. Frog. Then that's basically incest." There was an immediate reaction.

"Ew." Chorused from everyone in the living room. Katniss was laughing again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Katniss apologized. "It's just a strange sight." She shut her eyes tight like she was trying to block the mind picture of Posy and Rory.

While Katniss' eyes were closed Gale motioned for them to head towards Katniss. All the kids understood what Gale meant and they tackled Katniss.

She shrieked and went into fetal position. "Stop. Stop." She demanded. They tickled her all over and the sight of it was enough for Gale to haul himself up and walk towards her for a better view.

She rarely ever laughed like that with her tinkling laugh and it was the best music for Gale. He leaned over the other edge of the couch, over the kids and Katniss and tickled her neck. She started wheezing and tucked her chin tightly forgetting that by doing that she was trapping Gale's hand right there. _Shit._ She thought a second after Gale had realized what he could do.

He guffawed at the opportunity and continued to tickle her. He had found a chink in the armor.

"Stop! Stop it all of you. Or I'm gonna pee _all_ over your couch."

All hands backed up.

All eyes widened.

"I'm not that gross, god." Katniss informed them.

"Present time." Hazelle said walking with Ms. Everdeen into the living room. Everyone got their respective presents and sat on chairs or the floor. Gale got Katniss her gifts from the front table and handed it to her while sitting down next to her on the couch.

Her face was still flustered, and she kept a conservative distance. "Thanks." She mumbled.

"Anytime Catnip. Now what in the world did you get me?" He asks her, staring at her two boxes, one flat and long and the other tall as it was wide.

"What's the point of wasting time hiding it in a box if I just tell you?" She asked him with wide eyes. He took the top box and shook it vigorously.

Something rattled.

"Ooh, Catnip…" He drawled out. "What on earth could it be?"

"Something that I can use just as easily if you piss me off." Katniss warned him. She was smiling so he knew it was a joke.

"Oh, excellent. I have an idea now." And it was like he could read her mind. _Damn it Katniss, now you've done it. He knows its hunting related. God dammit to hell._ She silently cursed.

"Kids first." Ms. Everdeen said eerily calm towards Gale and Katniss. "Prim." Ms. Everdeen held out a small box.

Prim took it hesitantly and looked up gauging everybody's faces. She opened the pristine white lid and peered into the bottom of the box. "Mom." Prim gasped. "Mom is this the ocean?" She pulled the present out of the box and admired it with the light.

Everyone gasped. It was a globe of sorts, and it had a bottom decorated with shells and sand. The inside of the globe was a frosty blue, with frothy white waves and a boat that spun. When Prim shook it sparkles erupted from the crevices of the waves and caused the insides to gleam with streaks of light. The sparkles floated back down slowly.

"Yes. It was made in District Four."

Prim's smile was infectious and everyone was saying how pretty it was. Katniss mentally marked down that she would have to ask her mom where she got it. Gale made eye contact with her and they saw that they both had the same questions in mind?

Who gave it to her? And why would they?

"Rory, your next. On our behalf." Prim handed the boy something wrapped in delicate paper.

Rory, unlike Prim, hastily threw open the wrapping and stopped immediately when he saw what Prim had handed him. Katniss knew that she and her mom had nothing to do with his gift. Rory now knew that too.

"Little brother, show me what mischievous Prim got you." Ah, so everyone had picked up on the fact that Prim was completely in charge of Rory's gift.

Glumly and reluctantly, Rory held up a simple razor. His face was drawn in a priceless frown, and everyone broke out in laughter. "Thanks," He paused. "Prim. It's aweso-"

"Idiot." Prim smiled. She reached behind her back and handed him a jar of sparkling orange gel. "Merry Christmas, Roro."

Rory's mouth dropped and then turned indescribably happy. "Thanks Prim. It's awesome." He said with much passion.

"Do any of us get to understand this?" Gale questioned Rory. Rory shook his head and leaned over to hug Prim.

He whispered thanks in her ear profusely. "Yeah, yeah…" She blushed. "Next."

"Well, I'll give some of my presents…" Gale said leaning forward. Katniss immediately tensed as his body heat left her.

He passed Vick his present, and opened Posy's and tied it in her hair. "Love you Pos." Katniss couldn't help but imagine her future when she saw Gale act like this. Everyone awed at Gale and his love for his little sister.

Gale practically was the father to Posy, and they all knew that one day when she began to talk, she would call him Papa. The thought was sad. The thought was happy.

It was a shame.

But Katniss knew that overall, Gale would tell Posy the story of their father's death soon enough. Katniss was more than willing to be by his side when that day came.

Katniss couldn't picture Gale _not_ in her life. So when she imagined life later on, she always saw them hunting. She never knew if he had a girlfriend, or was married, or had children, but she always knew they were together while they hunted.

That was the only thing she pictured.

Lately it was beginning to become really hard for her to see herself invested in an relationship. She never pictured herself with a family or with a man by her side _that way._ But Gale was always there.

But that kind of scared her. I mean, she and Gale were going steady for crying out loud. Usually in District Twelve, once you found someone, you would learn more about them and in a few months, BAM, you were engaged.

At least she was with Gale and not a random boy who asked her to go to a dance on the eve of their last reaping. Katniss would never be okay with ending up with a guy like that.

"Gale, thank you so much. I love it." Vick was practically buzzing with energy. He held up a dictionary like a proud sword and then kissed it. "Now all I need is a thesaurus." He grinned at his mom.

"No problem Vick." Gale ruffled the young boy's hair.

Everyone shifted in their seats for the next present to be opened. Katniss wasn't in a hurry. "Prim, I got this for you." She says quickly handing Prim the hidden dress.

"Thank you Katniss." Prim answered and opened the top. She gazed down at the dress with wide eyes and smiled. "Oh it's gorgeous. How did you manage to pay this one off?" Prim wondered.

Katniss pretended to look hurt. "Consider it a gift from _me_ " She started and said the last part as fast as possible. "… and Darius." She finished sheepishly, flashing a look at Gale and then looking away real quick before he could say anything to her.

"Darius? Huh." Prim exhaled. "That's so kind. I'm going to wear it to the party." She told us.

"Good." While Hazelle was shuffling around for Gale's gift, Gale quickly brought Katniss' chin up so that he could see her face.

"Darius?" And the way he asked was much more threatening than Prim's. "How much did he supply for the cost?" He asked darkly. "And why?"

Katniss wondered if he thought it was because Katniss did something with Darius that only desperate women do. _Women only do that with Cray._ She thought with a disturbed attitude. "Gale." Gale snapped his head towards his mother. "Merry Christmas son."

Gale pulled a large hunting jacket out of the bag Hazelle had handed him. "Is this…?" He trailed off.

"Your father's?" She finished for him. Her eyes, smile and heart were warm as she saw Gale's reaction. "Yes."

"Ma, I don't even know what to say." Gale whispered as everyone took in Gale's handsomely joyful face. Gale was beautiful when he was happy, glorious when he laughed, godly when smiled.

And Katniss made him laugh.

And Katniss made him smile.

"How about, you're welcome?" Hazelle joked. Everyone chuckled. Katniss gave Gale a hug from the side.

"Now we match." She informed him. When he sent her a curious expression she whispered. "My jacket is my father's too." He kissed her on the cheek and she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Hazelle?" Ms. Everdeen turned to Gale's mom.

"Feren?" Hazelle said with an equal verve.

They traded presents and all the kids watched. "Oh you didn't have to." They accidentally cried in unison when they both laid eyes on their presents.

"What is it?" Vick asked politely and leaned closer to his mom to sneak a peek. Hazelle gave him the death stare and he leaned away.

"Perfumes." Katniss' mom said softly. "You got me perfumes. Thank you. That must have cost you a fortune."

"What about you Hazelle?" Katniss asked her.

"I'll use it sometime later. For now it's a surprise for all of you." The kids groaned. Gale did too.

Katniss laughed and nudged his shoulder. "Someone's impatient."

"You know I've always been." He replied sultrily, it was for Katniss but, everybody else thought it was an innocent reply. Katniss shuddered when she thought about how fiercely Gale had pressed her up against the wall of the house. How it was very animalistic, how he did it almost hungrily.

How he showed her his love.

"It's Katniss' turn now." Vick observed giddily.

"I hope none of you went out of your way." Katniss warned, grateful for the distraction.

Prim and Hazelle handed Katniss each a present. One was from the Hawthorne's and one was from her mom and Prim. She opened the one Hazelle gave her first and was surprised to see a big bar of chocolate. "No. Way." She marveled. "Are you kidding?"

Gale laughed and put an arm around her. She was so funny when she was surprised. She looked so young when she was surprised.

"Oh my heavens. This is beautiful." _Beautiful, Catnip? Really?_ Gale chuckled internally. "Here." She opened the foil packaging and handed everyone a square piece of it.

Everyone oohed as the chocolate melted on their warm tongues. Gale handed his piece to Katniss. She huffed at him and handed it back to him. "Take it Katniss." He begged slightly, placing it in her palm.

She scoffed and pulled his wrist and flipped his hand over so she could give it back to him. He did the same thing back. "No." She told him and then she stuffed it in his mouth.

He saw her hand a millisecond before it hit his lips, so clamped shut they went. The chocolate collided with his closed mouth and Katniss laughed an airy laugh. "My god Gale, just eat the god damn chocolate."

"It melted on your hand. I don't want it anymore." He said through gritted teeth and closed lips. She refused to give up.

"Then I'm not eating mine."

Gale's attitude quickly changed. He grabbed his and her pieces from her opened palm and stuffed them both into his mouth. "Thanks sweetheart." He flashed her a chocolate covered toothy smile.

"Ew. Gale. And quit it with the patronizing nicknames."

"You prefer Catnip?" He mused nostalgically. He remembered so clearly that day. Everything had seemed dark before then. After his father's death it was like a dark cloud had permanently situated itself atop his head. But after he met Katniss, his Catnip, the sky kept getting lighter. He could finally see. And what he did see was this beautifully selfless and graceful woman who had such a huge heart with only love and courage and strength.

"Of course I prefer Catnip." It sounded strange on her tongue but Gale admired the way she said it nonetheless. "Doesn't everybody?" She asked, turning to both the families.

"Yes, it does." They answered. "Open your next present, Katniss." Prim begged.

Katniss obliged.

It was a new sheath of fresh arrows. Twelve in all. "Dear lord." Her eyes swam with tears. Gale's eyes were as wide as saucers. "This is what I wanted. Thank you Mother. Thank you Little Duck."

"We love you so much Katniss." Ms. Everdeen said with compassion. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Katniss agreed.


	8. A Peeta Party & Foreplay in the Forest

Katniss brought her hand up to clasp the pendant that hung from her neck daintily. When she felt it's comforting weight in her hand she smiled. The tiny locket held a picture of Prim, her mom, and Gale. All the people she loved. Katniss remembered the way she thanked Gale that evening. She remembered the way that his eyes were brighter than normal as she handed him her present.

"Thank you." Was all he whispered to her, but the way it rumbled in her ear sent shivers all the way to her toes.

Katniss took a sip of her drink. Gale had politely filled it with ice cold water from Madge's tap. He himself took a different drink and assured Katniss that he could handle himself.

Katniss wasn't too sure.

She looked around at the crazy mob of people that had shown up for the party and scoffed at the behavior she was witnessing. Girls dancing closely to older guys, wasted food scattered around. She figured the strobe lights and provocative music had something to do with it.

Prim did in fact end up coming to the party, Rory however did not make himself present because he got in trouble at school and Hazelle wanted to teach him a lesson. Well lesson indeed. But Prim was miserable because of it. "Katniss who do I get to kiss at midnight?" Prim yelled up at her older sister.

"Um, no one." Katniss said sternly.

"But you get to kiss Gale." Prim shot back.

"Well I'm older than you." Katniss reminded her.

"Well I'm more mature."

"Dream on sister."

"I plan on it." Prim smiled. "And Rory will be with me." She added smugly.

"Excuse me?" Katniss asked, eyes widened in disbelief. Katniss was never this rowdy when she was twelve. Or that sassy for that matter. "I think not."

"Urg." Prim grumbled. "I'm going to try and find my friends." Katniss didn't stop her. For some weird reason Katniss started to think Prim had gotten some alcohol in her hands.

Katniss shrugged and took another sip.

Hazelle was going to be so pissed at Gale when he brought home a disheartened Katniss and a drunk Prim. Katniss could feel it. Katniss was off on the side. The dance floor was in front of her and the door was a few feet to her right. She felt so exposed with a borrowed dress from Madge. It ended above her knees, and flared out from under her bosom. The straps were far too thin for Katniss' liking and the neck line plunged a little low for Katniss' comfort.

Katniss' usual swagger had been cut short when Madge insisted on her wearing it to the party. They were at school and Madge pulled her aside and forced the yellow fabric upon her. It was beautiful, it really was. It just wasn't Katniss.

Katniss' slight confidence had been cut _even_ shorter when Gale told her he didn't want her drinking.

Okay sure it was sweet that he was being protective, but Katniss had been through thick and thin… Surely he knew that she had been through so much worse and could probably handle herself with one drink. At least one that was watered down.

But no.

Katniss was mad. She almost wanted to dump the cup of icy water on him and his pressed shirt.

But that would be cruel.

So she took a sip of the drink.

He smiled at her and told her he'd be right back. Right back her ass. Thirty minutes and she resorted to the wall where she stood now, partially looking out for him, following Prim's jumpy movements and seeking out a familiar face that she could talk to and try to enjoy the party so many people had dragged her to.

She never went to parties 'cause they weren't her thing. _This_ was why. She didn't fit in, she didn't look natural in this type of scene. She didn't know how to act or go about herself around the drunk or the sober.

She kicked off of the wall with her sandaled foot and strutted towards the food table. Of course she expected it to be covered in all sorts of nasty, but she was starving and maybe she could bring some stuff to her home, and hopefully get Gale to bring some home for Posy, Hazelle, Vick and Rory.

She licked her lips when she was in front of the cheese table. She brought a cube of salty heaven to her lips and moaned unashamedly when the chewy, squishy, cube melted in her mouth. She piled a few more bits in her mouth and began scavenging for a napkin or something to hold more so she could walk around and eat. She found a single bowl and considered putting it down in case something unspeakable had happened in it, but then decided that it was a party and she should live dangerously.

She laughed.

Dangerously? She poached on Capitol lands on a daily basis. She was living the ideal idea of dangerous. She grabbed a handful of orange cheese, a few blobs of another scrumptious looking food and then saw her favorite delicacy.

Cheese buns.

Oh god how she loved them. Trotting over with a bowl of cheese in one hand and an almost empty cup of water in the other her face was positively glowing. A huge smile on her lips she put down the bowl and nastily snatched a cheese bun with a disgraceful manner. She shoved it down her throat not even savoring the salty flavor.

She ate another, and another, and soon there were only a few more on the platter. She couldn't help the satisfactory bubble of laughter that erupted from her lips. She batted her eyelashes a few times from the sheer enjoyment of having a full stomach and then coughed.

That was a lot of carb. She realized that sooner than later and frowned. She needed to wash the thickness in her mouth down.

She took the final gulp of her drink.

She looked to the bottom of her empty cup for a long moment and then threw the cup over her shoulder carelessly.

She was about to hop off to another table of sweet foods when she heard the inexcusable thunk of her plastic cup hitting a victim body. She whirled around to apologize and only saw the baker's son chuckling.

"Did my cup hit you?" She put a hand on his shoulder. That was bold. She wondered if she actually hadn't been drinking water. Because for sure never in her right mind she would have willingly touched a boy.

Peeta even less so.

"Yeah but that wasn't why I was laughing." he told her. Shaking off her hand unintentionally. She sent him a cheeky nervous smile and wrapped and arm around herself.

"Oh."

"I was laughing because I saw you devouring my last dozen cheese buns in under a minute." He saw the mortified expression on her face and laughed again. This time his hand shot out to assure her. "No I'm not trying to embarrass you. I'm laughing because I think you're the only one who is enjoying the food here."

"No I'm not. There are plenty of others who are eating like there is no tomorrow." She countered by old habit.

He threw his head back and guffawed. Katniss wondered if Peeta was like this on a daily basis or if he was drunk himself and off his rocker at this party which was epic to everybody but Katniss and the loser who was tied to the flag pole outside. "Okay, but you're the only one who isn't intoxicated and is enjoying themselves."

 _I'm not enjoying myself._ She thought bitterly. "So you're drunk." It wasn't a question.

"No. I'm merely affected by everyone else's high spirits."

She crinkled her eyebrows skeptically. "So everyone has high spirits?"

"Don't you?" He asked her, his expression calming. "Who did you come with?" He asked over the other question.

"I came with my sister and Gale." She said like she thought he knew who Gale was. "Gale is my-"

"Your friend. I know." He finished. "Well since I saw him over there somewhere, and he looked occupied, why don't you and I go dance?"

Katniss smiled internally. Unlike Gale, this boy right here, who had annoyed her so much a few weeks ago was actually inviting her to do something at this party. Gale knew that she was uncomfortable at events like this, yet he left her stranded, confused and alone. Peeta was a face she knew, and she guessed she trusted him.

He had saved her life after all.

"I don't dance." She mumbled.

"I know you can." He said with a wide alluring grin.

"Not a chance." She whispered again, a small twitch of her lips pulling up. "No." He just laughed and grabbed her arm, taking her behind him towards the center of the floor. "I'm still thirsty, you know." She dropped on him.

"Well we don't want you peeing all over Madge's orange polished floors." He shook his head playfully at her and pulled her to face him.

"Well since I'm here." She accepted. "But I have to keep an eye out for Prim." She said aloud. She was reminding herself more than him but he seemed to notice that.

"Don't worry. I saw her with one of her friends from town a few minutes ago. Now relax and dance."

She didn't know what to think as he started boogying unattractively after a pause. The song was jumpy, so jump she did. He moved his head with an adolescent awkwardness and Katniss couldn't help teasing him about it. "You look unnatural." She pointed out.

"You look confused." He shot back.

"Oh do I?" She mused with wide, mischievous eyes.

"Where's Gale." He asked randomly.

Katniss was taken aback. Where was Gale? "I haven't seen him since we arrived at the party." She answered truthfully.

"Well that was gentlemanly." He muttered. They continued dancing, Peeta dancing like a loser to bring a smirk to Katniss' face and to make sure she wasn't bored. _Leaving a girl like her on New Year's Eve isn't the smartest thing to do._ He scolded Gale.

The song changed to another fast beat. Katniss wasn't used to the intense down beats and weird noises the song had in them. So she asked Peeta about them. He told her that it was Capitol music, invented with computers and talented singers inserting their vocals in it later. Dubstep… or something like that. She thought the word sounded funny on her tongue. He took both her hands and swung them innocently like they were five and she looked at him with disapproving eyes. "Are you drunk?" She asked again.

"Hell yeah."

"You lied to me." She gasped, appalled. He gave her a lopsided grin and she couldn't stay mad at him.

"Let's get you a drink." He offered. "What did you have before you threw your cup at me?"

They were headed towards the kitchen, where piles upon piles of different beverages laid out, covered in sticky juice and syrup, and the ugly stench of alcohol and vomit hovered in the air. "Gale gave me a water."

"So he really didn't want you to have fun, huh?" He said sarcastically, shuffling through the layers of open and closed bottles.

"I think he was trying to make sure I didn't do anything stupid or reckless." She defended Gale even though she was a little upset with his absence. Peeta shrugged nonchalantly at her harsh tone and poured a clear bubbly glass of soda into her coke. He then preceded to pour an amber liquid into the drink. "Thanks." She said to him when he handed it to her.

"Drink it slowly." He recommended. They both laughed and when Katniss hesitated he urged her to go on. "It's good." He assured her. She knew she could trust him. He had been more than polite to her tonight. She wondered what time it was.

She brought the glass to her lips slowly, last thing she was seeing was Peeta's waiting expression. She tilted her head back and opened her mouth to let the strong scented drink go in. "What the hell do you think you're drinking?" A familiar voice growled.

The glass vanished from her hand. She looked around. Peeta had vanished from her sight. Gale was blocking her view of anything behind him.

"What the hell do you think you're drinking?" He demanded again.

"I don't know." She shrugged honestly. "Vodka and Soda?" She guessed, knowing she was probably way off.

"Katniss, I gave you water for a reason." He explained.

"Well I wasn't enjoying myself, Gale." She said his name with venom. "The only person I know here is you." She continued. "And you weren't anywhere in sight."

"Prim was here." He countered.

"She's my little sister, and I wanted real company. I told you on Christmas that I wanted you to be with me at this party."

"I am here."

"You haven't been for an hour." Katniss frowned at him. "I don't feel comfortable in this setting, in this dress, around these people." She gestured to the chaos around her. "And I just wanted a familiar face. So Peeta found me and we've been hanging out." _Thank goodness for that._ She thought, not expecting the reaction from Gale.

But of course she didn't, she was new at the relationship thing with Gale. She didn't realize how jealous Gale got. Or how easily he did.

"Peeta? Peeta Mellark? The bread kid?" He said with an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, who else?"

Gale was angry, he was jealous… and he was drunk. Okay, maybe he _was_ at fault here. He admits that he did leave Katniss all by herself even when she specifically preferred him to be by her side. He sighed and tried to let his storming emotions go. "I'm sorry Katniss, I'll stay with you the rest of the evening." He hated the way he sounded glum.

She noticed the way he sounded glum. "Well, if you want to go hang out with someone funner than myself, go ahead." She offered sarcastically. He shook his head at her with an urgent verve.

"No, no. I'm not leaving you. I do think you're fun." He corrected his mistake.

 _Obviously not, though._ Katniss thought angrily. She scowled at him and wished Peeta didn't leave. He was acting like her date, whether or not she liked it, but he was there with her, acting like he brought her there because he wanted to spend time with her, not leaving her alone at her first New Year's party… like someone she knew.

What time was it anyways? "What time is it anyways?" That was literally the only point of parties like this, right? The clock striking midnight and every lover finding their partner bidding a year goodbye with a sweet kiss and looking forward to a new year that could only get better? Wasn't that the main reason of this whole get together?

"Eleven forty." He guessed.

"Wow." She rolled her eyes and walked towards him. Gale smiled, thinking he was forgiven, but she simply grabbed her glass from his hand and chugged the drink down in a single gulp and stalked off to her wall again.

Gale sobered up a little after that.

It was his fault that both of them weren't in party moods anymore. Katniss especially. She must've been open to the idea of dancing and kissing when they entered the house but now she was mad. And Katniss was very unforgiving when she mad.

She huffed and sank down to the floor after boiling with weird feelings. A haze was making it harder to concentrate and a healthy buzzing was vibrating through her veins. She shook her head to the beat of the new song and tried to get the disappointment out of her head. She hoped that soon she would be able to forgive Gale so they could enjoy the ball drop together.

Prim was probably with her friends and she would be responsible enough to go home if she got too tired, so Katniss just focused on getting enough courage to face Gale and apologize to him for her rash behavior.

Why was she embarrassed about being mad at him?

Maybe because it wasn't such a big deal?

No, because it was.

But it was easily forgivable.

But the whole problem was bigger than just him leaving her alone.

Katniss shook her inner turmoil out and forced herself to look for the tall dark head of her best friend. "I forgot to tell you that I think you look great in that dress." Peeta said from beside her. She blushed on instinct and looked him down and complimented him back. The tips of his ears turned pink and he ran a hand through his hair which he had cut recently.

"Why did you cut it?" She accidently asked out loud. He was grateful for her distraction from his flustered ears.

He laughed and explained that Delly gave him a dare to do it. He didn't mention that she dared him to do it to see if Katniss would like him more if he did.

"Well it looks really nice. The girls that follow the wrestling team will be ecstatic."

"That was the intention."

"I'm trying to find Gale. Will you help me?" Katniss hoped that he would accompany her.

The music was getting louder.

"Of course." He smiled politely, taking her hand. Katniss didn't think much of it. It was just a friendly gesture. "Did he leave you again?" He asked more guardedly.

"Not intentionally. I stormed off because he pissed me off. And oh, your drink tasted just as good as your buns."

He stared at her longingly. Gale was lucky he got to hang out with a feisty girl like her all day. Katniss mistook his ogling as him staring at her like she was a perv. She replayed the words again in her brain and then face-palmed.

"I didn't mean it like that." She wailed, hoping Peeta wouldn't judge her. Why would it matter if he did? She shrugged off that feeling. She loved Gale.

She knows she did.

She just hadn't told him.

"Nah, that's fine. How did you know I was on the wrestling team?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't know… talk around school?" She suggested.

"People talk about my brother that way." He informed her. "My older brother." He specified. _Just like they talk about Gale._ She thought. Then she shuddered. Somehow Peeta and Gale just didn't fit too well together in her thoughts.

"Yeah, I know." She replied unsurely, guessing that it was an okay thing to say.

"There's Gale." He murmured down in her ear after a few minutes of searching.

"Thank you Peeta." She took her hand out of his as sneakily as possible and jogged over to Gale's side with a pumped attitude. The drink's effects were coming back to her after her quiet talk alongside with Peeta. "Hey Gale. Sorry about earlier. I was being paranoid."

"It's alright Catnip." Gale said gratefully. He had taken to the side of the room closest to the balcony and been gazing out at the waning moon. He led her out onto the balcony where less partygoers were and more couples stood in each other's embraces. "I'm so sorry about earlier." He apologized truthfully.

"I'm just glad we're together now." She hummed and he enveloped her in a hug.

He shook his head. "I was being a dick and you are too good for words for putting up with my nonsense and my asshole-ness."

"I am too good for words." She replied cockily. "And I did put up with your rudeness."

"I want to make it up to you." He begged, feeling retched.

"So make it up to me Gale." She looked up at Gale and his chin touched hers.

"I will." He agreed huskily, stubble tickling her and sending shivers down her body. "But it's not time yet."

"It's alright if you do it early. A proper goodbye to the year." She suggested, bringing a hand up his back to his neck and fisting into his dark, choppy hair.

"Good point." He whispered and then gave in to what they both were wanting. He pulled his arms together against her lower back, if that was possible. There was no space between her chest and his. He leaned over her and she succumbed to his dominance like a docile rabbit. He broke the deep kiss off and weaned off of the lust by peppering her with kisses on her cheeks, her closed eyelids, her forehead, her chin, her neck and her nose. "You're smart." He said in between kisses. "You keep me on my toes, princess." He told her pulling away just far enough to gaze into her eyes without making his brain hurt.

Her large eyes stared up at him with a glossy layer of love and familiarity. She belonged in his arms, she felt like they were made for her. Like two pieces of a puzzle, finally found and finally sound, she felt at home, safe, comfortable and completely at peace with her messed up life.

She knew that she and Gale were bound to go through rough times, seeing as they were both hotheads and completely arrogant. But she knew that it made them special, and it was what made them who they were.

She loved him.

Maybe she would voice it tonight.

"I love," He stared at her mouth, because he couldn't believe the words he thought were going to come out. He pissed her off, disappointed her and pushed her into another man's arms tonight and still she was happy with him, and stayed beside him, truthfully, honestly, and faithfully. "…this." She chickened out.

No. Now was not the right time.

She felt that somewhere deep inside her, that there would be a better time and better place, and a better way to say it.

"I do too Katniss." Gale knew he was dreaming. He fucked up big time. "Do you want to find Prim so that all three of us can be together?"

"She'll be fine. If anything she went back to your house to be with Rory." Katniss joked.

"I don't doubt it Sweetheart." Gale laughed with her and his chuckles vibrated through his chest and warmed her to her toes. "Let's stay here then." He said, feet firmly planted on the ground and his heartbeat soaring. "Let's stay here and start the year like nothing bad will ever come between us. We have two minutes."

"Two minutes." Katniss said wistfully. "Let's say the things that we plan on doing in the next year, the things we look forward too."

Gale hummed in approval and rested his forehead against Katniss'.

"I'm going to make it through my fifth reaping, I look forward to you being out of Trinket's greedy reach, and Prim being safe and sound for her first year." Katniss started, whispering softly to Gale.

Gale kissed her nose and admired Katniss' beauty, kindness, and selflessness. "Same."

Laughter erupted through Katniss and she chuckled quietly. "That doesn't count. It has to be original."

Immediately Gale knew a few things he looked forward to or wanted to remain the same for the New Year. "I want our love to grow bigger, stronger, better. I want our future to be brighter and clearer and for everything to become easier and more peaceful." She giggled through her pain when she heard realized that Gale was a hundred percent into their relationship, rooting for it as though that could make it better, where she was more concerned for herself.

How horrible she was. She was ashamed now. She looked to bury herself into Gale's chest but he hooked a finger under her chin and made her hold her gaze. "But it's not peaceful." She made herself reply, hoping it would cover her uneasiness.

"Well, we'll just have to enjoy the rebelliousness then, won't we?" He placed a light kiss on the corner of her mouth and then smirked. Katniss felt a rush of heat flow through her when Gale growled that particularly naughty sentence onto her face and gave her the smile that he only ever gave her.

It was his best smile, and it made him look so exhilarating and luscious.

She responded with some incoherent mumbling and he chuckled down at her. He ungracefully shimmied then around so he could gaze in at the huge automatic wall clock that was visible from inside the house over the fireplace for the evening.

But Gale didn't need to look, he soon realized.

"Ten, nine…" People began chanting.

"I love you Catnip." Gale said facing Katniss again. Katniss smiled and kissed the underside of his chin adoringly.

"Three, two, one." They murmured together. Gale spun Katniss around, and she squealed in surprise and pleasure. She stood as far up as she could on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck and into his hair.

Fervently, he reapplied his hands on either side of her back.

One possessively gripped her waist, keeping her pinned to him, and the other protectively clawed at her middle back. Against her lips he smiled.

She felt it through her closed eyes and it surged throughout her body like wildfire. He needed her like a delicate flower needed sunlight. She needed him like animals needed water.

She was overcome by a certain longing for their forest right then. She whispered against his mouth. "I want to go to the woods."

"What's the magic word?"

She recoiled from him with amusement. "Food?"

He snickered loftily and shook his head. "Close enough. Let's go."

He took her hand and lead them through the cheering and smooching groups of people. Music still played through speakers, but it was more settling and mellow. People going without lovers swayed cheekily to the music.

She kept a giddy eye out for Prim but didn't spot her as the majority of the human beings looked blurry. The drink was actually getting to her and she laughed as she thought of Peeta being a huge alcoholic, or at least someone who was irresponsible for it but could still handle themselves.

Her childish attitude carried into Gale as he wove his way through the house, out the door, through the seam and under the fence. They stole kisses every now and then, Gale also moving his hand from Katniss' grip to around her waist.

Katniss stared at Gale's profile that was lit up by the first rhubarb colored firework. Katniss and Gale, even though expecting it, gasped. "Gorgeous." Gale noted.

"I wonder how Madge got a hold of those." Katniss mused as they hit the first row of trees.

"I'm guessing the Capitol Train brought them for the mayor along with the Tesserae." Gale answered.

"Well, I don't really care. We just get to enjoy it, huh?" Katniss decided snarkily.

"Amen, Sweetheart." Gale laughed.

This was Gale's real laugh. Louder, more rowdy and completely light. It was earthy, deep and so enticing that Katniss found herself blinking at his beautiful face. How could someone like Gale have ended up in her life?

He was supportive, and he was original. He was her rock, and he loved her so intensely it made Katniss feel special. He could have anything, any girl he wanted; and he loved Katniss. He always told her that she was different that she was not like other girls. And she would always say that it was because she wasn't. She hunted. She could name every girl that hunted.

Katniss.

That was it. So yes she was different, special, completely and utterly unique. But he loved her courage, her bravery, her spark, her fight and so much more. She was persistent and stubborn and so was he. They were so alike, and sometimes that was a bad thing, but sometimes it was a magical thing.

It was like a telepathic connection that the two of them shared. It was indescribable.

But he was the strong one, the defiant one, the tall one. He was everything and nothing all at the same time and it was overwhelming. Gale was just Gale. He couldn't be anything else, and he definitely lived up to his standards.

"What? Do I have something weird on my face?" Gale's voice snapped her back into reality.

She realized she was staring and then immediately felt the rise of heat go up her neck. She automatically pulled her long hair over her shoulders and giggled nervously. "You're just so perfect. I could not have asked for anything better, and I love-"

"Happy New Year Katniss. Give me some love." Gale interrupted over Katniss, pulling Katniss back into him right after he heard her devote herself to him. He kissed her hard, making her stumble backwards to the ground. They both let out a short breath and chuckle. Katniss pushed her face up to his catching him in an airy kiss which both delighted and riled Gale up.

Gale almost blindly pulled one of Katniss' sleeves off her shoulder. So overcome by lust and want he reached for her hair to pull her impossibly closer.

"Gale." She breathed, and he mistook it for her yearning for him. He continued, pushing her mouth open feeling fire in the pit of his stomach. "Gale." She began again, more fierce. He paused and looked up at her.

"Yeah." He was breathless.

"I never got to say Happy New Year's." She told him playfully, flipping them over so she sat on top of his middle. She leaned down and kissed the thick cord of muscle that went up from his neck to the back of his ear and heard him moan deliciously.

"It seems I forgot." He said in pants. She let out an amused breath against his ear and he shivered underneath her body effectively rubbing him against her where her desire was strongest. She positively purred against him and brought her lips to his once more.

The bubblegum flavor of vodka was tangible on his lips and she didn't know whether or not to be repulsed or sympathizing. He probably didn't know what he was drinking until the cup was half done. She carelessly pried his mouth open. He raked his hands up her arms and caressed her face before cupping a hand around it gently. He rolled halfway so that they both were on their sides and decidedly took a hand off her precious ivory chin and used it to swing her leg around his hip.

Immediately she realized how different this type of loving looked like. As if it was natural, she switched modes eagerly. "I just hope to god that no one at the party is missing us." She referred to Prim, but her tone is more than suggestive.

"Well then we should be fine with hanging out here for a few more hours." Gale responded, flamboyantly fluffing the skirt of her dress over her waist.

If she's uncomfortable with the exposure, she doesn't show it. Her hands sought his shirt, clawing at the hem and threatening to just tear it off of him.

She was more than drooling over the way it perfectly hugged his chest and made his broad shoulders wider. Instead of ripping the shirt off, because she loved that shirt on him, she pushed it up his chest as best she could and felt the defined V on him that went down, down, down…

Her daydream stopped short as Gale put a hand to her chest. She let out a loud moan. This was new.

She exhaled his name as if he was a god. White flew past his eyes as he felt the familiar tightening in his lower area become existent. She quickly reciprocated the favor, cupping her hand around his pants. He hissed in pleasure and shot up like electricity had gone through his body.

Katniss and Gale bonked heads and collapsed away from each other cradling their heads and cooing like babies. "Aw fuck." Gale cursed.

He knew he ruined the moment.

Katniss knew it too.

She went towards him on her hands and knees and kissed his closest temple. "You okay?" She wondered softly. He brought a hand away from his forming bruise and touched her collarbone with the knuckles of his hand.

"Are you, baby?"

She grinned widely clutching his hand to her chest with the hand now absent from the ground. "'Baby now is it?"

"I know you like Catnip, but honestly, these newer names seem more appropriate." He said honestly.

"Appropriate?" _Far from it._ She disagreed.

"They fit our relationship better." He tried again.

"What am I supposed to call you?" She asked him lying nose to nose with him on the soft green grass in front of their rock.

"Just call me Gale."

"But you're more than just Gale, Gale." She explained. "For years you've always just been Gale. Simply Gale. You mean way more to me, and you are way more than Just Gale."

"You're ridiculous." He laughed at her, tapping her nose. She scrunched it up in amusement. "Do you know how hot it is when you call my name while we're hunting?"

"How much?" She asked him sultrily.

"Too much. Very distracting." He whispered. Katniss beamed.

"You shouldn't have said that Gale." She wagged a finger at him.

"Oh really? What are you going to do?" He threatened her.

"Use it against you." She shot back. She purposefully batted her eyelashes at him, a smirk playing on her lips. Sadly enough, it didn't compare to the size of Gale's.

An organic yet arrogant smirk spread from ear to ear across Gale's face and his eyes sparkled that mischievous way that they always did. "You'll try to use it against me, but the only thing that I will allow against me is you."

Katniss immediately leaned away from Gale, a hundred different words ready to fly. But all that came out was: "Gross."

Gale let out a large peal of laughter, hearty, loud, manly laughter. Katniss was just so gorgeous when she reacted like this. She was a kid, still a little girl who was new to Gale's dirty world. She loved adventure and experiencing new things, and that's what Gale gave her…

Even if it was a little gross at times.

"God, that's so gross Gale. I can't believe… Ew, god. Now I can't even. Gross." She stuttered, physically wiping the arm where Gale last touched her.

"Oh so now I have cooties?"

"Only because you said something out of my comfort zone." Katniss rephrased.

"You're drunk though." And now she noticed the sloppiness of his speech and movement. "You won't remember this tomorrow."

"And you will?" She asked softly, approaching him guardedly once more.

"Of course I will." He assured her.

"So remember this," She challenged leaning down to his ear to say...


End file.
